368 pages / 6.00 x 9.00 inches / 31 halftones
History / United States - Southern History
http://www.theaterfirebook.com
Meredith Henne Baker holds a graduate degree in American history and a museum studies certificate from the College of William and Mary. A former boarding-school history instructor and urban public-school administrator, she currently resides in Washington, D.C.
“Much more than just the dramatic exposition of a horrific disaster in which notable families suffered losses, Baker’s gracefully written book tells the story of nineteenth-century Richmond’s cultural transformation. The theater had its friends and foes—it was thought by some a welcome place for amusement, and judged by others a ‘school of vice.’ The author moves deftly through such subjects as public safety, personal reputations, fixation on death, and the tenacity of religious values. A solid contribution to early American history.”—Nancy Isenberg, author of Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr
“The Richmond Theater Fire is totally engrossing, a real page turner. Baker ably depicts the vibrancy of social and cultural life in early Richmond, and captures the horror, chaos, and shock of this terrible conflagration. She does a marvelous job of unearthing and marshaling primary sources to recreate for us the most detailed and heartbreaking account of this disaster that I have ever read.”—Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, author of Celebrate Richmond Theater
Meredith Henne Baker's excellent website and blog
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