The latest book to cross my nightstand is Jill Jonnes' Eiffel's Tower: and the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, The Artists Quarrelled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count.
As someone who has been to Paris and taken in the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower, it's an intriguing look into the personalities of those who came to see the Tower in its inaugural year and how Gustav Eiffel overcame hurdles to make his dream happen.
Jonnes looks at the artists who tried to make their mark at the Fair, competing interests including those of Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh, and many other impressionist luminaries. It also provided some interesting background on Buffalo Bill Cody and how his Native American troupe were involved in the Black Hills treaty negotiations, tying together two of my more recent vacations.
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