Daily Archives: April 1, 2025

Palm Springs Tiki: Polynesia in the Desert

Palm Springs Tiki: Polynesia in the Desert
By Sven Kirsten and Peter Moruzzi
Kaysville, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2024
Hardcover, 200, $35

Reviewed by Andy Panda Montero

The midcentury modern era and Tiki Polynesian pop culture flourished in the U.S. for several decades following World War II. Who would have considered combining them in Palm Springs, the desert oasis of California? That’s precisely what occurred, and authors Sven Kirsten and Peter Moruzzi bring this unexpected pairing to life in their stunning book, Palm Springs Tiki: Polynesia in the Desert.

Full Review

Looking Back at the Future: Photographing Vintage Leftovers of New York’s World’s Fairs

“Looking Back at the Future: Photographing Vintage Leftovers of New York’s World’s Fairs
By Gloria R. Nash
New York: NRG Press, 2024
Softcover, 123 pages, $29.95

Reviewed by Douglas C. Towne

With the stars of the 1939 Fair, such as General Motors’ “Futurama” exhibit and Trylon and Perisphere, the oversized obelisk and globe practically in my DNA, it was with great interest that I read SCA member Gloria R. Nash’s recent book documenting the remnants of the 1939 and 1964- 65 New York World’s Fairs.

Nash, too, carries the World’s Fair DNA from her childhood, as she watched in awe the light shows and fireworks from the 1964-65 Fair from her family’s apartment in Queens. She was also a frequent fair visitor. “Even at ages 10 and 11, I sensed the fair would be among the highlights of my life,” Nash writes. “More than a group of buildings, they represented an energy that defined the pinnacle of the era’s creativity in architecture, art, design, engineering, industry, and technology.

Full Review