Eiffel's Tower August 12, 2009

Eiffel’s Tower: And the World’s Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count

It’s easy to forget that the Eiffel Tower is a relatively new – and originally controversial -- feature of Paris, that was described as “the useless and monstrous Eiffel tower” in an angry manifesto signed by some of Paris’ most famous citizens (including Alexandre Dumas.) Originally built for the 1889 World’s Fair, the Eiffel tower was, at the time, the tallest building in the world, and the centerpiece for an international exposition that included Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and Thomas Edison’s demonstration of his new invention, the phonograph. Jill Jonne’s new book on the Eiffel Tower is the only history of the tower currently available in English, and a fascinating portrait of what would become one of France’s most enduring icons.

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