Washington Burning
by Standiford, Les
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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Washington Burning : How a Frenchman's Vision for Our Nation's Capital Survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, and the Invading British Army
by Les Standiford
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Crown Publishing Group, The, 2008. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps… Read more about this item Item Price
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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 Les Standiford
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Crown Publishing Group, The, 2008. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend… Read more about this item Item Price
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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
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Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's Vision for Our Nation's Capital Survived Congress, Founding Fathers & the Invading British
by Standiford, Les
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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
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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
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Washington Burning
by Standiford, Les
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Crown Publishers, 2008. First Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. As New/As New. Large, sturdy heavy book, dark green spine, cream boards, very bright gilt lettering on spine, map showing layout of D.C. from plans inside covers and adjacent end papers, 353 pages plus biographical note. DJ colorfully designed and illustrated with aerial view of Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Building… Read more about this item Item Price
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Washington Burning : How A Frenchman's Vision For Our Nation's Capitol Survived Congress , The Founding Fathers , And The Invading British Army
by Standiford , Les
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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
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Crown Publishing , 2008. First Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. As New/As New. Larger, sturdy book, green spine, cream boards, bright gilt lettering on spine, map inside covers and adjacent end papers, 353 pages. DJ glossy yellow background, a color-illustration of Washington and the building of the Capitol at bottom front, praise on back from Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune,… Read more about this item Item Price
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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 Les Standiford
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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
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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
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Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's Vision for Out Nation's Capital Survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, & the Invading British Army
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 Les Standiford
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U S. A.: Crown Books. Fine/Fine. 2008. First Edition. Hardcover. 0307346447 353pp including bibliography and index Map endpapers Plates The riveting story of the Federal City and the men who built it . Item Price
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