American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century
by Blum, Howard
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0307346943
- ISBN 13
- 9780307346940
- Seller
-
Sewell, New Jersey, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Book and dust jacket are in fine condition. The image provided is the actual book I'm offering for sale. No markings or damage to any pages. No sunning. No clips. Structure of the book (covers, binding, spine, hinges) is tight and free of damage. Page block is nice and square. Cut pages. Additional photos will be provided upon request in order to ensure the quality and integrity of your book purchase.
Synopsis
It was an explosion that reverberated across the country--and into the very heart of early-twentieth-century America. On the morning of October 1, 1910, the walls of the Los Angeles Times Building buckled as a thunderous detonation sent men, machinery, and mortar rocketing into the night air. When at last the wreckage had been sifted and the hospital triage units consulted, twenty-one people were declared dead and dozens more injured. But as it turned out, this was just a prelude to the devastation that was to come.In American Lightning, acclaimed author Howard Blum masterfully evokes the incredible circumstances that led to the original "crime of the century"--and an aftermath more dramatic than even the crime itself. With smoke still wafting up from the charred ruins, the city's mayor reacts with undisguised excitement when he learns of the arrival, only that morning, of America's greatest detective, William J. Burns, a former Secret Service man who has been likened to Sherlock Holmes. Surely Burns, already world famous for cracking unsolvable crimes and for his elaborate disguises, can run the perpetrators to ground. Through the work of many months, snowbound stakeouts, and brilliant forensic sleuthing, the great investigator finally identifies the men he believes are responsible for so much destruction. Stunningly, Burns accuses the men--labor activists with an apparent grudge against the Los Angeles Times's fiercely anti-union owner--of not just one heinous deed but of being part of a terror wave involving hundreds of bombings. While preparation is laid for America's highest profile trial ever--and the forces of labor and capital wage hand-to-hand combat in the streets--two other notable figures are swept into the drama: industry-shaping lmmaker D.W. Griffith, who perceives in these events the possibility of great art and who will go on to alchemize his observations into the landmark film The Birth of a Nation; and crusading lawyer Clarence Darrow, committed to lend his eloquence to the defendants, though he will be driven to thoughts of suicide before events have fully played out.Simultaneously offering the absorbing reading experience of a can't-put-it-down thriller and the perception-altering resonance of a story whose reverberations continue even today, American Lightning is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- The Dusty Bookcase (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 0001726
- Title
- American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century
- Author
- Blum, Howard
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 339 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. Audience: General/t
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition, First Printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0307346943
- ISBN 13
- 9780307346940
- Publisher
- Crown Publishers
- Place of Publication
- New York, NY
- Date Published
- 2008
- Pages
- 339
- Size
- Octavo
- Keywords
- 20th century; California; General; History; Los Angeles; Media Studies; Murder; Non-Fiction; Otis, Harrison Gray; Social Science; State & Local; True Crime; United States; West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY)
- Bookseller catalogs
- Crime; 20th Century; Murder; Non-fiction; Media Studies;
Terms of Sale
The Dusty Bookcase
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
The Dusty Bookcase
About The Dusty Bookcase
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....