Eiffel's Tower : The Thrilling Story Behind Paris's Beloved Monument and the Extraordinary World's Fair That Introduced It

by Jonnes, Jill

• ISBN13: 9780143117292
• ISBN10: 0143117297
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-27
• Publisher: Penguin Books

Summary

The story of the world-famous monument and the extraordinary world's fair that introduced it. In this first general history of the Eiffel Tower in English, Jill Jonnes-acclaimed author of Conquering Gotham-offers an eye- opening look not only at the construction of one of the modern world's most iconic structures, but also the epochal event that surrounded its arrival as a wonder of the world. In this marvelously entertaining portrait of Belle 'poque France, fear and loathing over Eiffel's brash design share the spotlight with the celebrities that made the 1889 Exposition Universelle an event to remember-including Buffalo Bill and his sharpshooter Annie Oakley, Thomas Edison, and artists Whistler, Gauguin, and van Gogh. Eiffel's Tower is a richly textured portrait of an era at the dawn of modernity, reveling in the limitless promise of the future.

Author Biography

Jill Jonnes is the author of Conquering Gotham, Empires of Light, and South Bronx Rising. She was named a National Endowment for the Humanities scholar and has received several grants from the Ford Foundation. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Table of Contents

We Meet Our Characters, Who Intend to Dazzle the World at the Paris Exposition	p. 1
Gustave Eiffel and "the Odious Column of Bolted Metal"	p. 15
Troubles on the Tower	p. 41
"The First Elevator of Its Kind"	p. 65
In Which the Artists Quarrel and the Tower Opens	p. 85
Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley Triumphant	p. 121
Gustave Eiffel Holds Court amid the Art Wars	p. 151
The Monarchs of the World Ascend the Republican Tower	p. 183
In Which Thomas Edison Hails the Eiffel Tower and Becomes an Italian Count	p. 205
Rosa Bonheur Meets Buffalo Bill	p. 243
Afterword	p. 271
Acknowledgments	p. 313
Notes	p. 317
Index	p. 341
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