{"product_id":"chicagos-great-fire-the-destruction-and-resurrection-of-an-iconic-american-city-paperback","title":"Chicago's Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eCarl Smith\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA definitive chronicle of the 1871 Chicago Fire as remembered by those who experienced it--from the author of \u003ci\u003eChicago and the American Literary Imagination\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver three days in October, 1871, much of Chicago, Illinois, was destroyed by one of the most legendary urban fires in history. Incorporated as a city in 1837, Chicago had grown at a breathtaking pace in the intervening decades--and much of the hastily-built city was made of wood. Starting in Catherine and Patrick O'Leary's barn, the Fire quickly grew out of control, twice jumping branches of the Chicago River on its relentless path through the city's three divisions. While the death toll was miraculously low, nearly a third of Chicago residents were left homeless and more were instantly unemployed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis popular history of the Great Chicago Fire approaches the subject through the memories of those who experienced it. Chicago historian Carl Smith builds the story around memorable characters, both known to history and unknown, including the likes of General Philip Sheridan and Robert Todd Lincoln. Smith chronicles the city's rapid growth and its place in America's post-Civil War expansion. The dramatic story of the fire--revealing human nature in all its guises--became one of equally remarkable renewal, as Chicago quickly rose back up from the ashes thanks to local determination and the world's generosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs we approach the fire's 150th anniversary, Carl Smith's compelling narrative at last gives this epic event its full and proper place in our national chronicle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The best book ever written about the fire, a work of deep scholarship by Carl Smith that reads with the forceful narrative of a fine novel. It puts the fire and its aftermath in historical, political and social context. It's a revelatory pleasure to read.\" --\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCARL SMITH\u003c\/strong\u003e is Franklyn Bliss Snyder Professor of English and American Studies and Professor of History, Emeritus, at Northwestern University. His books include \u003cem\u003eChicago and the American Literary Imagination, 1880-1920\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eUrban Disorder and the Shape of Belief: The Great Chicago Fire, the Haymarket Bomb, and the Model Town of Pullman\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eThe Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City\u003c\/em\u003e; and \u003cem\u003eCity Water, City Life: Water and the Infrastructure of Ideas in Urbanizing Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 400\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 8.2 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 14, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45792218972204,"sku":"9780802159120","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/6260\/8940\/files\/EDh9OeL0Q09780802159120.webp?v=1783832160","url":"https:\/\/littleredgeneralstore.com\/products\/chicagos-great-fire-the-destruction-and-resurrection-of-an-iconic-american-city-paperback","provider":"Little Red General Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}