In the Introduction to The Second Greatest Disappointment, Karen Dubinsky confides to the reader that her inspiration for the book is both her “own adult curiosity about the culture in which my parents came of age” (2) and her discovery of Niagara Falls, Ontario as “the greatest theme park of heterosexuality I had ever witnessed” (3). The author states that her work is basically a history of tourism at Niagara Falls, but it is more than that. By framing tourism’s development through the honeymoon, Dubinsky sheds light upon the forces that helped shape and develop Niagara Falls into a North American cultural icon. The scope of the book is ambitious and the author’s approach justifiably interdisciplinary. Using source materials that span two centuries, Dubinsky argues that the association of the honeymoon with Niagara Falls evolved over time along with people’s attitudes towards sexuality, particularly heterosexuality. While its reputation as the “honeymoon capital of the world” crystallized after the Second World War, the process began with the wedding tours of the 19^th century when the town of Niagara Falls was a popular summer resort among the monied classes. From this early period of development comes the story of a business rivalry that became so bitter a Royal Commissioner, Edmund Burke Wood, was appointed to investigate visitors’ complaints. Researchers who are interested in the conflicts that arise over space when its meaning is imposed from without will find this account worthy of note. The commissioner’s criticisms of the town’s visitor services and his recommendation that the provincial government take control of an area that reached to the foot of the waterfall “initiated a conflict between local authorities and provincial ‘reformers’ that continued well into the twentieth century” (88). The subsequent creation of Queen Victoria Park ensured a scenic and public space from which to view the feminine allure of Niagara — and of the construction spurred on by early 20^th century industrial development. Although objections to this development, particularly of a power plant, were won over “by proclaiming electrical development as the manifest destiny of white men” (102) the tourism industry’s promotion of the now illuminated falls as a “must-see” for visitors also helped dispel the discord. The author’s confessed interest in the postwar period comes through in the later chapters of the book. Beginning with the dramatic impact of the automobile on tourist patterns in the 1920s and 30s, and the exploitation of hospitality industry workers, it is in these chapters that the case for the association of the honeymoon with the growth of tourism is most strongly presented. And as the honeymoon became an increasingly popular ritual, Dubinsky argues it also played a pivotal role in the public demonstration of a heterosexual identity, particularly in the 1950s when journalists on the “Niagara beat” spent their time “watching besotted honeymooners do silly things in public” (240). Although Dubinsky does quote from visitors and town developers, the voices of those who lived in the area appear infrequently. If this local perspective had been more deeply explored, this volume would be of more interest to ethnologists. Of what appears, the most intriguing is the reminiscences of those who worked in the hotel industry during the 1930s and 40s. Dubinsky’s use of pop-culture from various eras, however, does go a long way to putting a human face on the area’s development. The images generously distributed throughout the text also enhance its appeal. One of the difficulties with Dubinsky’s work is that it is difficult to place within the field of expectations of any one discipline. Each chapter takes a theme and …