The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable monuments in the world, a powerful symbol of freedom and the American dream. For decades, the myth has persisted that the statue was a grand gift from France, but now Liberty's Torch reveals how she was in fact the pet project of one quixotic and visionary French sculptor, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. Bartholdi not only forged this 151-foot-tall colossus in a workshop in Paris and transported her across the ocean, but battled to raise money for the statue and make her a reality.

A young sculptor inspired by a trip to Egypt where he saw the pyramids and Sphinx, he traveled to America, carrying with him the idea of a colossal statue of a woman. There he enlisted the help of notable people of the age - including Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph Pulitzer, Victor Hugo, Gustave Eiffel, and Thomas Edison - to help his scheme. He also came up with inventive ideas to raise money, including exhibiting the torch at the Phildaelphia world's fair and charging people to climb up inside. While the French and American governments dithered, Bartholdi made the statue a reality by his own entrepreneurship, vision, and determination.

DETAILS

Hardcover: 310 pages
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; 1st edition (July 2, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802122574
ISBN-13: 978-0802122575
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

About The Author 

Elizabeth Mitchell is the author of three nonfiction books, Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing (Hyperion), W.: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty (Hyperion), and most recently, Liberty's Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty (Altantic Monthly Press). Her bestselling e-single, The Fearless Mrs. Goodwin (Byliner) and Lady With a Past: A Petulant French Sculptor, His Quest for Immortality and the Real Story of the Statue of Liberty (Byliner) are reported historical narratives. She also authored Fire Horse for Byliner. Mitchell was executive editor of George magazine and features editor at SPIN magazine. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.