The Last Leaf: Voices of History's Last-Known Survivors [Hardcover]

Stuart Lutz (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 23, 2010

When we read about famous historical events, we may wonder about the firsthand experiences of the people directly involved. What insights could be gained if we could talk to someone who remembered the Civil War, or the battle to win the vote for women, or Thomas Edison's struggles to create the first electric light bulb? Amazingly, many of these experiences are still preserved in living memory by the final survivors of important, world-changing events.

In this unique oral history book, author and historic document specialist Stuart Lutz records the stories told to him personally by people who witnessed many of history's most famous events. Among many others, Lutz interviewed:

-the final three Civil War widows (one Union and two Confederate)

-the final pitcher to surrender a home run to Babe Ruth

-the last suffragette

-the last living person to fly with Amelia Earhart

-the final American World War I soldier

-the last surviving employees of Thomas Edison, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Harry Houdini.

The wide-ranging stories involve humor (the 1920 Olympic medalist who stole the original Olympic flag), tragedy (the last survivor of the 1915 Lusitania sinking), heroism (the final Medal of Honor recipient for actions on Pearl Harbor Day), and eyewitnesses to great events (one of the last scientists at the first nuclear chain reaction, and the final Iwo Jima flag raiser).

In more than three-dozen chapters, Lutz blends background information in a lively narrative with the words of the interviewees, so that readers not familiar with the historical episodes described can understand what occurred and the long-term significance of the events.

A book that truly makes the past come alive, The Last Leaf will fascinate not only history buffs but anyone who likes a good story.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"These interviews of the last survivors of historic events offer fascinating insights on the social and cultural history of twentieth-century America. The stories of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary experiences carry a powerful poignancy." --Dr. James McPherson. Princeton University, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom

"The Last Leaf is perhaps one of the most pivotal and valuable references on the American experience in publication. The stories contained in this book are those of the last witnesses and the last first hand accounts of global and American history and is a must have for anyone seeking to comprehend how our world has been forged." --David DeJonge, historian and documentarian of the world's last World War I veterans

"The arcane history bits in The Last Leaf are endlessly fascinating. Did you know that FDR's valet was named Arthur Prettyman, or that the last survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire escaped the inferno by following her bosses to safety? On a deeper level, Stuart Lutz delicately conveys the humanity of these 'last leaves,' giving us a profound sense of the whimsy and poignancy of their singular condition." ----Gregory Gibson, author of Gone Boy -- A Walkabout.

About the Author

Stuart Lutz (Short Hills, NJ) is the owner of Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc., a firm that buys, sells, and appraises historic documents, letters, and rare manuscripts. He has written for American Heritage and Civil War Times, and he has appeared on National Public Radio. More on Stuart Lutz and The Last Leaf can be found at TheLastLeaf.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 370 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; First edition edition (March 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 161614162X
• ISBN-13: 978-1616141622
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,052,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stuart Lutz has always been fascinated by the stories told by older people. Perhaps it started when he was a boy and heard his great-grandparents recount their immigrant voyage to America, their first airplane sighting, and the first time his great-grandmother could legally vote (even though she had been married four years). Also, when he was young, he was intrigued during a family trip to Charleston, South Carolina, when the tour guide pointed out the building that still housed some Confederate widows, even though the Civil War had been over for 125 years. He could not understand how that could be, until the guide explained that some young ladies married much older men who had fought in the Civil War.

Lutz's interests in history and writing come together in The Last Leaf, an oral history book featuring the stories of almost forty survivors and eyewitnesses to historically important events. Lutz is the only person to have interviewed the last three Civil War widows (the last one died in 2008), but The Last Leaf also features the last American World War I soldier, the final living person to have flown with Amelia Earhart, the final pitcher to give up a home run to Babe Ruth in his historic 1927 season (when Ruth hit sixty home runs), the last suffragette, the final Medal of Honor winner for heroism on Pearl Harbor Day, the last person to have made design contributions to the ENIAC (the first electronic, programmable computer), the final Iwo Jima flag raiser, the last survivor of the sunken Lusitania, the final Harry Houdini stage hand, and the last employees of Thomas Edison and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Each chapter blends the narrative of the "Last Leaves" with historical background so readers can understand what occurred and the long-term importance of each event.

Lutz owns Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc., a firm that sells rare letters and manuscripts (www.HistoryDocs.com). He has written for American Heritage and Civil War Times Illustrated, and appeared on National Public Radio. He has a B.A. in American History from Johns Hopkins and frequenty appears on the History Channel program Cajun Pawn Stars as the historic document appraiser and authenticator.

If you are interested in having me speak before your group (I have a 45 minute Power Point presentation), please email me at [e-mail] or call me toll free at 1 [phone].

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Leaf March 18, 2010

By Gary Combs

Format:Hardcover

Stuart Lutz, the author of The Last Leaf, is a noted historian and dealer in historical manuscripts. His knowledge is ample. This book is clearly a labor of love with many vignettes of notable events, most Twentieth Century. The witnesses to these events are all old, some in better shape than others. The one thing they all have in common is laser-sharp memories of events in which they participated, whether by accident or design. We have Esther Raab, the last survivor or the almost unknown Nazis Death Camp Sobibor; Rose Freedman, survivor of the New York Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. There is George Putnam, Jr. stepson of Amelia Earhart and the last living person to have flown with her, with details such as lack of bathrooms, eating at the stick and the less than smooth rides. Amusing anecdotes of Flo Ziegfeld's last surviving Follies girl, Doris Eaton Travis; the beloved Kitty Carlisle Hart, last principal in the Marx Bros. films. There is something for everyone. Not every one of these folks stories is particularly interesting, but they do remind you to call your Grandparents, your parents, your aging next door neighbor. Sit and listen; they all have stories, as survivors, of living history. It is to Mr. Lutz's credit that he took the time to sit and listen.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars history's last known survivors: a journey back in time March 28, 2010

By Stephanie Cowell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

"We all build libraries of our lives," says author Stuart Lutz in the afterword of his fascination compilation of the stories of forty "last leaves." "When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground. Every time one [last leaf] passes, our national memory dims slightly."

And what a diverse set of memories! A eighteen-year-old country girl who married an 80-year-old Civil War veteran and is the last living Civil War widow; a 106-year-old Ziegfeld Follies dancer; the last surviving member of FDR's social security committee; an old woman who at 17 was one of the girls who escaped the terrible Triangle Shirt Factory fire and is the last left to tell what she saw. Soldiers, a Holocaust escapee, the last man who worked with Thomas Edison.

As remarkable as the survivors' stories is the story of the author's journey across America over more than ten years to meet these very old people. One young writer had a compulsion to find them and record their memories. Why and how he did this are in the fascinating introduction.

THE LAST LEAF, more than anything else, has great heart. It spills over with love. I predict this will carry the book into many bookshelves where it will be greatly treasured as it deserves to be.

I am the author of CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A NOVEL OF MONET and several other novels.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE LAST LEAF March 29, 2010

By Jerard Jordan

Format:Hardcover

What an outstanding book concerning events of 20th century America! Easily read and very informative...I simply could not put THE LAST LEAF down. When finished, I came away with a great appreciation of the people, the "movers and shakers" behind the events which have contributed to the history of 20th century America. Stuart Lutz has answered through words and photos what has happened to the "Last Leaf" of many events in American history. I highly recommend THE LAST LEAF. VOICES OF HISTORY'S LAST-KNOWN SURVIVORS to those who desire to learn what really happend behind the scenes from "The Last Union Widow"; The Last Man Alive to Work with Thomas Edison; The Last Living Pitcher to Give Up a Home Run to Babe Ruth in His Historic 1927 Season" and 36 others who helped in creating this wonderful country America. Thank You Stuart.