ISBN: 0670020605 9780670020607

Category: History / Europe / France

Page count: 354

<b>The story of the world-famous monument and the extraordinary world's fair that introduced it</b><br><br> 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.<br><br> In <i>Eiffel's Tower</i>, Jill Jonnes, critically acclaimed author of <i>Conquering Gotham</i>, 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.<br><br> Like <i>The Devil in the White City, Brunelleschi's Dome</i>, and David McCullough's accounts of the building of the Panama Canal and the Brooklyn Bridge, <i>Eiffel's Tower</i> combines technological and social history and biography to create a richly textured portrayal of an age of aspiration, dreams, and progress.