Describes the attractions and events that educated, entertained, and mesmerized twenty million visitors at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

"In 1801, relations between the world's only two republics, the United States and France, were at a low ebb. American merchants had just lost millions of dollars to French privateers in the "Quasi-War" of the late 1790s, and Napoleon was scheming to acquire the Louisiana Territory from Spain and create a "wall of brass" that would halt America's westward expansion. Yet only a few years later, Napoleon agreed to sell Louisiana to the United States...

Cerami illuminates the largest recorded real estate deal in history, when the US doubled its size on one April day in 1803. He focuses on the nine principal American and French players in the 30 months of negotiations leading to the sale.

"Adam Benjamin Gates and his twin sister, Eleanor, have heard their father's tales of his part in the Revolutionary War and his discovery of a great treasure that helped the Patriots win. But they long for an adventure of their own. So when they hear whispers of a voyage to explore the recently purchased Louisiana Territory, the siblings are determined to take part. Soon, Adam and Eleanor find themselves on a dangerous journey into uncharted lands....