Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris. theArtists Quarreled. and Thomas Edison Became a Count

The story of the world-famous monument and the extraordinary world's fair that introduced it Since it opened in May 1889 the Eiffel Tower has been an iconic image of modern times-as much a beacon of technological progress as an enduring symbol of Paris and French culture. But as engineer Gustave Eiffel built the now-famous landmark to be the spectacular centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair he stirred up a storm of vitriol from Parisian tastemakers lawsuits and predictions of certain structural calamity. In Eiffel's Tower Jill Jonnes critically acclaimed author of Conquering Gotham presents a compelling account of the tower's creation and a superb portrait of Belle Epoque France. As Eiffel held court that summer atop his one-thousand-foot tower a remarkable host of artists and personalities-Buffalo Bill Annie Oakley Gauguin Whistler and Edison-traveled to Paris and the Exposition Universelle to mingle and make their mark. Like The Devil in the White City Brunelleschi's Dome and David McCullough's accounts of the building of the Panama Canal and the Brooklyn Bridge Eiffel's Tower combines technological and social history and biography to create a richly textured portrayal of an age of aspiration dreams and progress.

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Viking Adult; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (April 30 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780670020607

ISBN-13: 978-0670020607

ASIN: 0670020605

Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds