Statue of Liberty

June 1, 2011

A solid new entry in Mann's exemplary tour of the modern world's architectural wonders (The Taj Mahal, 2008, etc.).

Even sticking to the basic facts, as the author does, the story of how Lady Liberty was conceived, constructed and bestowed makes a compelling tale. Pointing to the disparate long-term outcomes of the American and French revolutions to explain why the U.S. system of government became so admired in France, Mann takes the statue from Edouard Laboulaye's pie-in-the-sky proposal at a dinner party in 1865 to the massive opening ceremonies in 1886. Along the way, she highlights the techniques that sculptor Bartholdi used to scale up his ambitious model successfully and the long struggle against public indifference and skepticism on both sides of the Atlantic to fund both the monument itself and its base. Witschonke supplements an array of period photos and prints with full-page or larger painted reconstructions of Bartholdi's studio and workshop, of the statue's piecemeal creation and finally of the Lady herself, properly copper colored as she initially was, presiding over New York's crowded harbor. As she still does.

It's not exactly an untold tale, but this new telling is worth the read. (measurements, bibliography, "The New Colossus") (Nonfiction. 10-13)

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August 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-Published to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Lady Liberty's unveiling in 1886, this book follows both Edouard Laboulaye, the president of the French Anti-Slavery Society, who provided the inspiration, and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a sculptor who specialized in enormous statues. Bartholdi was inspired by Laboulaye's idea that the French should present a gift of friendship and a celebration of liberty to the United States for its 100th anniversary of independence. From the concept, through the funding problems, the size issues, and to the transportation across the Atlantic, the construction of the platform and the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, Mann writes a fascinating chronicle, well enhanced by archival photographs and the illustrations. Witschonke's full-color drawings echo the art and feel of the period, and the associated descriptions enhance the text. The newspaper reproductions offer a glimpse at the reactions to the Statue of Liberty and an open window into its journey from France to Bedloe's Island. Mann has created a historically accurate, brilliant book about a symbol of American freedom.-Lia Carruthers, Roxbury Public Library, Succasunna, NJ

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