1904 St. Louis World's Fair Ceylon Hand Book

Title: 1904 St. Louis World's Fair Ceylon Hand Book
Genre: Geography/History
Alternate Title: Official Handbook of the Ceylon Court.
Subtitle: With Maps and Illustrations
Publisher: George J. A. Skeen, Government Printer, Ceylon
Year: 1904
Pages: 190
Format: Paperback
Provenance: Unknown
Classifications: Department A—Education; Department B—Art; Department C—Liberal Arts; Department D—Manufacturing; Department E—Machinery; Department F—Electricity; Department G—Transportation Exhibits; Department H—Agriculture; Department J—Horticulture; Department K—Forestry; Department L—Mines and Metallurgy; Department M—Fish and Game; Department N—Anthropology; Department O—Social Ecology.
Random Passage: "Recognizing that the Island depends so largely on the success of its agricultural industries, the Government of Ceylon endeavors to aid the progress of these industries by keeping up, not only an Irrigation Department, but a Scientific Department in which, as in the Agricultural Department of the United States, a scientific study is madeof the botany, entomology, agriculture, and horticulture of the Colony."
Notes: In the movie classic Meet Me in St. Louis, flighty teen Esther Smith (Judy Garland) dreams of attending the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair before her family's reluctant move to New York. While at the Fair, Esther may have dropped in on the Ceylon pavilion and learned about the island's vibrant agriculture, wildlife, mining and history. Located off the Southern coast of India, and now known as Sri Lanka, Ceylon was then part of the British Empire. This lavishly produced souvenir book does its best to emphasize the positive aspects of the island, ignoring the thorny racial and political issues which came with Colonial rule.