John Steele Gordon
Washington’s Monument: And the Fascinating History of the Obelisk
Published by Bloomsbury
Mar 07, 2016 Web Exclusive
For Washington’s Monument, historian John Steele Gordon attempts a centuries-long history of the obelisk, told through the lens of the construction of the Washington Monument. The obelisk, a four-sided tower of stone, usually tapered at the top, was central to the ancient Egyptians and many of those ancient stones were pilfered by invading or occupying countries in subsequent years. The Washington Monument is not technically an obelisk, as it’s made out of many stones, not a singular piece, and its construction was fraught with delays and complications from the time of its idea’s conception in the late 1700s.
Gordon attempts to tell both the history of obelisks in general and of the Washington Monument specifically in one slim 211-page text. [Fun fact: Even the book is somewhat obelisk-shaped.] Practically-speaking, what this yields is a book that is somewhat disjointed. Gordon bounces back and forth between ancient history and more recent Washington, D.C. His text is broken up by footnotes of peripheral interest, noting some obscure facts not central to the story. And just the breadth of the book’s purpose is overwhelming. One gets the sense that the brevity of the text somehow cheapens the history.
Still, there are many fascinating details herein. Like how the Egyptians carved their obelisks, transported them, and then ultimately got them to stand upright. Or how States and even civilians sent blocks to line the Washington Monument’s inner wall, each carved with specific messages, many of which reflected the fractured state of the union at the time.
Gordon’s book is not a tedious read. It moves at a fair pace and packs a lot of information into limited text. But one wishes that it were a bit more cohesive. (www.bloomsbury.com)
Author rating: 5.5/10
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