The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon and over 670,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
26 used & new from $5.97
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon [Hardcover]

David Alexander (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
List Price: $28.00
Price: $23.94 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $4.06 (15%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Only 4 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
Want it delivered Monday, September 13? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
15 new from $9.95 11 used from $5.97
Textbook StudentJoin Amazon Student and get FREE Two-Day Shipping for one year with Amazon Prime shipping benefits.

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $15.40   -- --
Hardcover $23.94   $9.95 $5.97

Frequently Bought Together

The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon + The Pentagon: A History + Assignment Pentagon: How to Excel in a Bureaucracy, Fourth Edition, Revised
Price For All Three: $54.65

Show availability and shipping details

Buy the selected items together

  • In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • The Pentagon: A History by Steve Vogel Paperback$13.50

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Assignment Pentagon: How to Excel in a Bureaucracy, Fourth Edition, Revised by Perry M. Smith Paperback$17.21

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Pentagon: A History

The Pentagon: A History

by Steve Vogel
4.7 out of 5 stars (18)  $13.50
Assignment Pentagon: How to Excel in a Bureaucracy, Fourth Edition, Revised

Assignment Pentagon: How to Excel in a Bureaucracy, Fourth Edition, Revised

by Perry M. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  $17.21
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pentagon (Complete Idiot's Guides)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pentagon (Complete Idiot's Guides)

by J. J.; Levin, Michael Cateau
4.0 out of 5 stars (4) 
Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers

Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers

by Daniel Ellsberg
4.6 out of 5 stars (48)  $11.56
The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008

The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008

by Thomas E. Ricks
4.1 out of 5 stars (62)  $15.98
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Pentagon has been called many things by many people, but to those who work there, directing the defense of the United States, it is simply “the Building.” Monumental in its five-pointed symmetry, the massive five-sided, five-story structure encompasses over six million square feet of floor space and covers twenty-nine acres of formerly swampy ground.

 

There has always been much more to the Pentagon than concrete, limestone and steel. In The Pentagon, veteran defense writer and novelist David Alexander delivers the inside story on the people who have brought the Building to life, from army chief of staff General George Marshall and Secretary of War Henry Stimson, charged with creating a force that could defeat Germany and Japan, to the “whiz kids” brought to the Pentagon by Kennedy’s Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara. Alexander's look down the corridors of power unfolds the modern history of the American defense establishment, its personalities and politics, and the evolving role that the Pentagon has played in our national security.

 

From its initial design to its restoration after the attack of 9/11, this book tells the story of the Pentagon as it is inextricably linked to the story of American power and strength.

Book Description

Starting with the construction of the Pentagon during World War II, Alexander unfolds the modern history of the American defense establishment, the personalities and the politics, along with the evolving role that the Pentagon has played in our national security. From its initial design to its restoration after the attack of 9/11, his book tells the story of the Pentagon as it is inextricably linked to the story of American power and strength.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Zenith Press; 1st edition (October 3, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 076032087X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0760320877
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,194,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
David Alexander
David Alexander
David Alexander
David Alexander

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
late interwar period, preemptive warfare, defense transformation, defense reorganization, nuclear payloads
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, World War, Cold War, White House, Soviet Union, War Department, Defense Department, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gulf War, Department of Defense, Pearl Harbor, Iraq War, Saddam Hussein, Oval Office, Vietnam War, National Security Act, New York, Munitions Building, Desert Storm, Hell's Bottom, New Deal, Middle East, Iron Curtain, Colin Powell, Marine Corps
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon
52% buy the item featured on this page:
The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon by David Alexander Hardcover 4.5 out of 5 stars (4)
$23.94
The Pentagon: A History
33% buy
The Pentagon: A History by Steve Vogel Paperback 4.7 out of 5 stars (18)
$13.50
Assignment Pentagon: How to Excel in a Bureaucracy, Fourth Edition, Revised
9% buy
Assignment Pentagon: How to Excel in a Bureaucracy, Fourth Edition, Revised by Perry M. Smith Paperback 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
$17.21
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pentagon (Complete Idiot's Guides)
5% buy
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pentagon (Complete Idiot's Guides) by J. J.; Levin, Michael Cateau Paperback 4.0 out of 5 stars (4)
› Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?
See all 15 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars The Pentagon 'scanned', June 13, 2009
By Albert Russo (Paris, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon (Hardcover)
David Alexander's book on the Pentagon is a must-read for every student of politics and for every politically-enclined and responsible person in the US and abroad who wants to know what stands at the heart of American might and how it functions. Alexander writes beautifully and so clearly that even people like myself, who know so little about the complexities of government, can enjoy the book.


Albert Russo, writer
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCEPTIONAL ACHEIVEMENT OF NARRATIVE NONFICTION, October 3, 2009
This review is from: The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon (Hardcover)
David Alexander's The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon is an exceptional achievement of narrative nonfiction. I believe it not only deserves a valued place on the bookshelf of anyone who's interested in the sometimes arcane inner workings of the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, but it's also a must-read for those who enjoy great writing for its own sake.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars DAVID ALEXANDER'S THE BUILDING IS A STUNNING ACHIEVEMENT, January 19, 2009
This review is from: The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon (Hardcover)
Enormously rich in detail, stunning in its vivid descriptions and bold character portraits, expert in the scope and breadth of its knowledge, rich in its depth of detail, the Building is nonfiction that is written with a novelist's brilliance and a scholar's keenly balanced sense of historical perspective.

The book is a crowning achievement for David Alexander who has succeeded in elevating journalism to the lofty heights of narrative history as few authors before him have been able to do.

While there have been glimpses inside the Defense Department and the Pentagon before, no one until now has published a comprehensive and detailed report on the often arcane inner workings of the mammoth defense establishment of the United States and its embodiment in the sprawling government building that houses it.

As one of the most important works of investigative journalism to have come out of Washington in years, this fascinating book should be on the must-read list of everyone concerned with America's growing list of military commitments around the world.

This is beyond a doubt the best-written book on a major nonfiction theme to appear in a long time. From the first page to the last there is the unmistakable voice that sets the true writer off from the ranks of media clones and corporate pretenders with at best superficial narrative powers.

David Alexander's The Building has the guts and grit and sweat and muscle of the powerful personalities that built the Pentagon from the ground up using practically nothing but dirt and water, and the determination to do the impossible in record time.

Like the builders of the Pentagon themselves, David Alexander has seemingly done the impossible: he has brought to life the incredible story of the Pentagon and the role it has played from Pearl Harbor to the War in Iraq. This is truly a nonfiction book that reads like the best of fast-paced adventure fiction.

The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon is a remarkable achievement. It proves that once David Alexander gets a story in his sights and cocks the hammer, scoring a bullseye is inevitable.

Also see: David Alexander's action thriller Under Attack

Also see: David Alexander's action thriller Threatcon Delta: Assault on the Pentagon
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Haven't read it, but....
Looking through the index, how can this book aptly discuss the post-9/11 restoration of the Pentagon without mention of The Phoenix Project, PenRen, Lee Evey or Allyn Kilsheimer?
Published 12 months ago by Beth Anderson

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.