American Colossus: The Grain Elevator, 1843 to 1943, by William J. Brown
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American Colossus: The Grain Elevator, 1843 to 1943, by William J. Brown
Free PDF Ebook Online American Colossus: The Grain Elevator, 1843 to 1943, by William J. Brown
New! Improved! Updated! Shorter and less expensive! -- Yes, William J. Brown's ""American Colossus: the Grain Elevator 1843 to 1942"" has been republished, and it is even better than before. Originally published in 2009, ""American Colossus"" is still the only book-length history of the invention, development and widespread adoption of the steam-powered grain elevator, which was invented in Buffalo, New York, in 1843 by Joseph Dart and Robert Dunbar. Over the course of the next 50 years, Buffalo-style grain elevators were built all over the Great Lakes region and, eventually, all over the world. ""American Colossus"" pays careful attention to the role played by the Erie Canal and to such technical matters as fireproofing measures and materials-handling techniques. The heart and soul of the book are the chapters devoted to the depictions and interpretations of Buffalo's elevators by the local press in the 19th C and such European modern architects as Gropius, Mendelssohn and Le Corbusier in the 20th.
American Colossus: The Grain Elevator, 1843 to 1943, by William J. Brown- Amazon Sales Rank: #1667983 in Books
- Brand: Brand: Colossal Books
- Published on: 2015-10-23
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.02" h x .61" w x 5.98" l, 1.49 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 268 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
Where to Download American Colossus: The Grain Elevator, 1843 to 1943, by William J. Brown
Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. excellent book By Kava "Though it focuses upon Buffalo, the city in which the grain elevator was invented and perfected, Brown's history also examines the beginnings of the grain trade in several other key cities, including Minneapolis, Montreal, New York, Chicago and New Orleans. There are even discussions of grain elevators built in Argentina, France, Germany, Iraq and the Soviet Union. When necessary, Brown has translated documents from the original French, which allows us better access to information about grain elevators built in Montreal, and he has double-checked existing translations from the original German, which helps us re-evaluate the fantastic claims made about American getreidespeicher by European modernist architects in the 1910s and 1920s (many of these architects were German). Brown's scope and methodology perfectly suits a trade in which the local, national and international levels are closely linked."from the preface byMarshall BrownUrban Designer and ArchitectAssistant Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology"Art historians, cultural critics, and others have long disagreed about the advent of the intertwined phenomena known as 'modernity' and 'modernism.' Some have dated their beginnings in Zurich and Berlin in the 20th century; others have claimed an even earlier appearance, pointing to Paris in the 1860s. William Brown's book about grain elevators makes the highly original claim that the essential aspects of modern society were already present in America in the 1840s. Replacing the skyscrapers of Chicago and New York City with the towering grain elevators of Buffalo and Minneapolis, Brown re-tells the history of the modern city in a fresh and interesting way."Throughout this remarkable book, I am reminded of Walter Benjamin's 'Arcades Project,' which was a massive and unfinished work about Paris in the first decades of the 19th century. Like Benjamin, from whom he draws for both insights and citations of other writers, Brown calls upon a wide range of sources: the Bible, Sigmund Freud, Martin Heidegger, Karl Marx, Lewis Mumford, Charles Demuth, Frederick Jackson Turner, Charles Baudelaire, William Shakespeare, Anthony Trollope, Ken Kesey, Jacques Derrida, Francisco de Goya, Walter Gropius, and even Star Trek. The result is a brilliant cultural study of grain elevators, and a very rewarding read."Dr. Kimberly A. PaiceAssistant Professor, Art History, University of Cincinnati
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Informative, but ... By Red J. Comb William J. Brown is a guy who loves grain elelvators and knows a lot about them. I am a guy who loves grain elevators and knows very little about them. So I was glad to see "the first in-depth history of the invention and widespread use of the American grain elevator." And the book is indeed informative, well-researched and liberally documented. I liked his position that the world grain trade is as influential, if not more so, than the oil industry, on world economy and finance, yet seems to get a free pass on its economic domination. The problem I have is with the author's casual, convesational writing sytle, which becaomes intrusive after awhile. His frequent use of italics to emphasize certain words without explaining their significance becomes almost an affectation, and his statement that "A local kid who was climbing around" in a grain elevator fell to his death reminded me of the time in high school when I had points taken off a paper I had written for using slang, when I used "kid" for "child." And I lost count of all the sentences that began "In point of fact ..." He also uses ellipes for dramatic effect which doens't quite come off, as when he speculates as to whether elevators were still used "to ... ah ... elevate" the grain. But the main problem of the book is that the last 100 pages or so consist of almost unrelieved snark. The author seems to have an ax to grind against every previous author of a grain elevator book. Reyner Banham, author of A Concrete Atlantis, the book that more or less launched grain elevator scholarship, comes in for particular scorn. I should point out that that it's been some years since I read the book ,and my familiarity with is flawed. I don't doubt that his quotes from Banham are authentic, and I can't speak to the accuracy of fatual statements, but it seems unnecessary to say "Banham is an embarrassment, even an outrage. A Concrete Atlantis is full of mistakes and, because of that, an intolerable arrogance." To he his credit, he gives Banham his due when he feels it is merited, but his belittling of Banham's first person description of a trip to the Buffalo elevator district seems especially mean-spirited; "Banham wants us to bleieve that "he" (quotes substituted for italics) wasn't scared or depressed; no, "he" was positivley exhilarated!" Eventually, I felt that I was reading a particularly nasty high schooler's Facebook post trashing a classmate, and was literally embarrassed about continuing to read it. His treatment of photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher, internationally renowned for their studies of various structures, is similar. The Bechers are known for their deadpan style; the structure speaks entirely for itself. There are no fancy angles or atmospheric lightings, and little text. The structure as is merely identified as to location. The author is either unaware of this or doesn't care. He exclaims "Where in blazes is Peotone, Illinois?" (entire sentence italicized) "Where is it in relation to the many other places in Illinois that the Bechers photographed grain elevators?" Lisa Mahar-Keplinger and Frank Gohlke catch less venom, but they are not exactly treated kindly either. The author should realize that, if he is to be credited with the first historical study of grain elevators, he should concede that most of the other books are primarily aesthetic studies, for better or worse. He even takes to task a graffito, "Frankenstein Lives Here!" a Tonawanda elevator, dissecting it and noting that "if Frankenstein lives "here" (italics again) in this particular grain elevator, then "you" the reader of the graffito) should leave without dwelling any further." He even gets racial; "unlike the white 'urban explorers' who dwelled upon the Wollenberg and were fully aware of its significance, the black people from 'that side of the tracks' actually dwelled "in" (italics again)it, but did not know or even care what the building was or what it meant. Unlike the former, who are careful with fire, the latter seem to burn down "everything" (italics his), even their own homes." In short, informative as this book is about a suject dear to my heart, it just has too mant problems for me to like it.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Two Stars By Kurt N. Smith Hard to follow written like its a science wouldn't recommend if your looking for pictures as well.
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