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Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's Vision for Our Nation's Capital Survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, and the Invading British Army
by Standiford, Les
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- VG-/DJ VG-
- ISBN 10
- 0307346447
- ISBN 13
- 9780307346445
- Seller
-
Tipp City, Ohio, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Crown, 2007. Book. VG-. Hard Cover (x-library). 1st Printing. Large Octavo. Ex-library with usual markings and labels. Dust jacket in plastic sleeve, glued to end papers..
Synopsis
The Riveting Story of the Federal City and the Men Who Built ItIn 1814, British troops invaded Washington, consuming President Madison's hastily abandoned dinner before setting his home and the rest of the city ablaze. The White House still bears scorch and soot marks on its foundation stones. It was only after this British lesson in "hard war," designed to terrorize, that Americans overcame their resistance to the idea of Washington as the nation's capital and embraced it as a symbol of American might and unity.The dramatic story of how the capital rose from a wilderness is a vital chapter in American history, filled with intrigue and outsized characters--from George Washington to Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the eccentric, passionate, difficult architect who fell in love with his adopted country. This Frenchman--both inspired by the American cause of liberty and wounded while defending it--first endeared himself to then General Washington with a sketch drawn at Valley Forge. Designing buildings, parades, medals, and coins, L'Enfant became the creator of a new American aesthetic, but the early tastemaker had ambition and pride to match his talent. Self-serving and incapable of compromise, he was consumed with his artistic dream of the Federal City, eventually alienating even the president, his onetime champion.Washington struggled to balance L'Enfant's enthusiasm for his brilliant design with the strident opposition of fiscal conservatives such as Thomas Jefferson, whose counsel eventually led to L'Enfant's dismissal. The friendships, rivalries, and conflicting ideologies of the principals in this drama--as revealed in their deceptively genteel correspondence and other historical sources--mirror the struggles of a fledgling nation to form a kind of government the world had not yet known. In these pages, as in Last Train to Paradise and Meet You in Hell, master storyteller Les Standiford once again tells a compelling, uniquely American story of hubris and achievement, with a man of epic ambition at its center. Utterly absorbing and scrupulously researched, Washington Burning offers a fresh perspective on the birth of not just a city, but a nation.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Seller
- Browse Awhile Books
(US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 01130656
- Title
- Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's Vision for Our Nation's Capital Survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, and the Invading British Army
- Author
- Standiford, Les
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - VG-
- Jacket Condition
- DJ VG-
- Edition
- 1st Printing
- ISBN 10
- 0307346447
- ISBN 13
- 9780307346445
- Publisher
- Crown
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2007
- Size
- Large Octavo
Terms of Sale
Browse Awhile Books
Buyer pays shipping, items will be held 10 days while waiting on payment. All items guaranteed as described - 7-day return. Shipping policy: All books shipped via USPS for $5.00 minimum or actual cost. Customers may specify a preference for media mail ($4.50) or priority mailing($6.00), insurance is recommended ($1.00), mailing otherwise at buyer's risk. International packages shipped via Global Priority ($14.00), or actual cost.
About the Seller
Browse Awhile Books
Biblio member since 2005
Tipp City, Ohio
About Browse Awhile Books
We've provided used and out-of-print books to western Ohio readers and collectors since 1980 through our retail store. We have been an active online bookseller since 1997, when we were among the first generation of Bibliofind and ABE vendors. We work hard to offer a variety of interesting books, priced competitively, graded and described honestly, delivered promptly and pleasantly. Our 2,000+ square feet shop is located in the heart of the Old Tipp City Historic District, among more than 50 antique and arts shops. We're open 11AM-5PM Tuesday through Friday and 11AM-4PM Saturday. We're a two-minute drive from I-75, about 15 minutes north of Dayton, Ohio. Our current inventory consists of approximately 200,000 books, about 1/3 of which are in the online inventory. A word about descriptions...we attempt to grade and describe books as accurately as possible, so that you will know exactly what you are buying. We want our customers to order with confidence and to reorder with pleasure - if you receive anything other than what you expect, we prefer that it is because we've exceeded your expectations. Many of our books are described as being within Brodart covers or protective sleeves. These are the sort of clear covers that you find on library books, though (of course!) we do not affix them to the book in any way. Virtually all dust-jacketed books are within Brodart covers, whether so described or not.
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