The Tallest Tower: Eiffel And The Belle Epoque [Paperback]

Joseph Harriss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2008

ABOUT THE BOOK: This revised and updated second edition of THE TALLEST TOWER by Joseph Harriss is the definitive history of the world's most famous landmark and its ingenious builder, written by a veteran international journalist. "Harriss succeeds admirably...This is a well-organized, exceptionally readable book; entertaining, informative, and highly recommended," wrote Library Journal.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

One evening I took a random stroll on the Champ de Mars, not far from my home in Paris. After walking for a while, I found myself beneath the Eiffel Tower and glanced up. Above me the colossal, intricate, overarching tracery of crisscrossing girders soared more majestically than the columns of any gothic cathedral. Although I had looked at the tower countless times during my years as a Paris-based journalist, this time I really saw it. I was held, fascinated, awe-struck. I decided to find out more about this odd, captivating structure. I learned that the tower was not merely a fairground gimmick, but the all-but-inevitable outgrowth of an era, in some ways the epitome of an age.

This age, the Belle Epoque, was the age that, with a remarkable sense of itself, created the Eiffel Tower. A synthesis of technology and mood, this bizarre construction was a compendium of engineering methods and materials developed during the first century of the Industrial Revolution. It was also, it seems to me, the most expressive statement of how one part of the human race felt about itself at a pivotal point in its history.

About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joseph Harriss has served as a TIME correspondent in Paris, Algiers and Brussels, a Reader’s Digest staff writer covering Europe, and a foreign affairs columnist for The Dallas Morning News. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The American Spectator, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other publications. He lives in Paris.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Unlimited Publishing LLC; Revised edition (February 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588321029
• ISBN-13: 978-1588321022
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOW I KNOW, February 10, 2006

By 

ICEMAN (Keokuk, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tallest Tower: Eiffel And The Belle Epoque (Paperback)

Wow , what a great book....I saw a 'Modern Marvel' episode on the History Channel either about the Eiffel Tower or in a group with other structures , whatever , I then bought some posters of the tower and put them up in my living room and then searched for a book on the tower and saw this and got it....very good book , very informative and a good deal more than just the tower...It tells the story of the French society at the time of the construction and the pitfalls and highs of building it...the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure built by man since the pyramids in Eygpt...did not know that...NOW I KNOW....