Eiffel's Tower

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.