Washington's Monument: And the Fascinating History of the Obelisk

by John Steele Gordon

The colorful story behind one of America's greatest monuments and of the ancient obelisks of Egypt, now scattered around the world. Conceived soon after the American Revolution ended, the great monument to George Washington was not finally completed until almost a century later; the great obelisk was finished in 1884 and remains the tallest stone structure in the world at 555 feet. The story behind its construction is an intriguing piece of American history, which acclaimed historian John Steele Gordon relates with verve, connecting it to the colorful saga of the ancient obelisks of Egypt. Nobody knows how many obelisks were crafted in ancient Egypt, or even exactly how they were created and erected, since they are made out of hard granite and few known tools of the time were strong enough to work granite. Generally placed in pairs at the entrances to temples, they have in modern times been ingeniously transported around the world to Istanbul, Paris, London, New York, and many other locations. Their stories illuminate that of the Washington Monument and offer a new appreciation for perhaps the most iconic memorial in the country.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Architecture

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2016

About the author

John Steele Gordon is an American writer who specializes in the history of business and finance. Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Vanderbilt University.

Reviews

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lively and fascinating account of how an obelisk was chosen and built to commemorate our first president. It also provides an interesting history of the obelisk itself and how European countries and later America came to possess some of these ancient relics of the past.

It sounds like it would be mundane, but some of the best parts was learning about the men who carried out the transporting of these giant stone structures and how they did it. No mean feat before modern technology.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title says, a fascinating history of obelisks...and where they are today. Perhaps the most interesting passages in the book were those pertaining to moving obelisks. Recommended for civil engineering nerds!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expecting a history of a specific obelisk, I found this short book packed with stories of several others as well, traced to their ancient Egyptian origins and followed through their relocations in Europe and America. Also included was an abundance of trivial facts in the footnotes (what did the death of John Quincy Adams have to do with the Washington Monument!?), which I must admit I absolutely loved. While the naval, mechanical, and architectural terms were sometimes out of my grasp, this was written plainly enough to understand what was happening and how it was happening. Gordon reveals the magnitude of the incredible feats accomplished in the making and erecting of these monuments millennia ago, moving them in the nineteenth century, and the equally difficult challenge of getting assistance for Washington's Monument from a burdened and weary Congress.

[Mike Ely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about the building of the Washington Monument in Washington DC and the history of obelisks. The book probably should have been called Obelisks including the Washington Monument. Most of the book covered ancient Egypt and the subsequent movement of obelisks from Egypt to Europe and the US. Overall though, this is really interesting read about the long journey to get the Washington Monument built that I would recommended to any history buff.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the book starts out and has a chapter here and there about the Washington Monument and the struggle to get it approved, financed and eventually built, more time is actually dedicated to the history of obelisks and the the difficulties London and NYC had moving their 'gifts' from Egypt to their eventual current locations.

It is filled with curious facts and no one will ever know how many obelisks the ancient Egyptians actually created as time, wars and weather have buried or crumbled them into sand. The ingenuity getting them across the water - be it the Mediterranean or the Atlantic - must be read in order to appreciate it.

It also talks about the numerous renovations the Washington Monument has undergone from repeated modifications of the lightning attraction systems to the additions of the state flag circle to damage assessment and repairs from weathering and the 2011 earthquake. One modification that was too long in the making was/is the installation of a glass-sided elevator which enables visitors to see the numerous blocks engraved and donated by the states, cities and even other countries that are embedded in the walls.

It's a quick read and very enjoyable especially if you're planning a near-future trip to DC or even to NYC to see Cleopatra's Needle.

2019-019

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others have mentioned, about half of this book is about the Washington Monument, and the other half is dedicated to obelisks in general and a handful in particular. There's certainly a lot of information about these subjects to be learned from the book, and it's a pretty quick read once you get into it. The author often switches between timelines with the chapters, and I would get caught up in the attempt to build a monument and then be thrown back to ancient Egypt to learn about the politics of pharaohs, only to reverse the process a chapter or two later. It wasn't a huge issue, but it could be disconcerting. Also discussed are the myriad issues involved with moving an obelisk, and I discovered that there's one in NYC that I never knew about. All in all, a very interesting study, and one I'm glad to have read before my trip to NYC and DC later this year.

[Debbie Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Washington's Monument...turned out to be a surprisingly good read undoubtedly because the author manages to create excitement and anticipation while weaving the history of the obelisk between the story of how difficult it was to raise funds and get this monument built. Readers learn the simple look of the form is deceiving, and realize just how much other country's obelisks have been coveted by rival countries. Readers who like art, architecture, engineering, history and American history will appreciate the story of Washington's monument. It never becomes bogged down in unnecessary details. This turned out to be one of the more fascinating discoveries for the year.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, afterall is subtitled 'and the facinating history of the obelisk'. It is, in fact, @ easily over 50%, the telling of the history and plundering by the West of these famous anciet monuments. Interesting enough. Yet, I was left feeling that so much of the Wash Mon history, interspersed throughout, was left untold.

Oddly, the auther begins with the damage resulting from the earthquake of 2011 but never loops the story back around to it at the end (which seems a bit rushed).

[Steve Gross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although a slim book, only about a third is devoted to Washington's Monument. Also, too many footnotes.

[Dylann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I love anything related to George Washington, which is why I picked up this book. However, this book rarely mentioned him, which is still great. I remember growing up knowing about the monument, but not really knowing anything about it. This book solved that problem for me without making it boring.

Half of the book focuses on the history of all obelisks (as the title would suggest), but makes it so interesting. While reading about it, I forgot that I was reading about the Washington monument and thought I was getting a lesson in Egyptian history. This book really rekindled my love for the Egyptian and their inventions. It gives great information about how they built their greatest monuments, making the theory of "aliens must have done" seem ridiculous to start with. This book allows you to see the genius of the Egyptians without having to believe that aliens had anything to do with it.

I mostly recommend this book because of the Egyptian history within, as (for me at least) after a while everything else about the Washington Monument pales in comparison to the Egyptians. I recommend this book to anyone in love with history and especially to everyone who believes that aliens must have created beautiful structures that Europeans had no part in.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Size matters, folks. We have the biggest, and this book is all about it! Our memorial to America's Dad, well. He'd get it, and probably blush.

That aside, this was a very interesting book - taught me a lot about the crazy things people will put on a boat, and with which they will sail off into the sunset. AND for which very rich people will fight to pay transportation only (not the object itself).

John Steele Gordon knows his stuff, a historian extraordinaire. However this was not a book soley to discuss our first president and the ways we remember him. It was about hard, pointy objects known as obelisks and where we've planted them throughout the world. A startlingly robust study of obelisks. A two-fer-one sort of book. With fascinating footnotes aplenty. It felt like this started out as one book (George W and how we remember him), and then totally took over and had it's own way with the author (Tall Monuments: how to create, build, move, place, ship, remove, repair, cap, dedicate with meaning, and supersize! Make 'em BIG. Mostly big.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this summer read. Guess what was added to my Bucket List? Yep.

[A Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Steele Gordon's writing skills make what could have been a boring book quite fascinating. The story of the Washington Monument is almost secondary to the fascinating history of the obelisk. How the Egyptians erected these 5000 years ago is astounding. If you are an engineering nerd, you will lap this up. I, personally, could care less about how things are built. But with that said, I enjoyed the hell out of it. A related story about the Rosetta Stone and cracking the code of hieroglyphics is the most interesting part of the book. Also, a kumquat was found underneath an obelisk in Egypt, inexplicably. I am off to reading his other book Empire of Wealth next. Or James Patterson's next book written by IBMs Watson. One. Or the other.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable if slight history that I checked out of the library mostly because I thought it was clever that the book's tall, narrow shape echoed its subject matter. The details behind the building of the Washington Monument were fun though the author had to delve pretty deep into the trivial to fill out those sections of the book. The chapters about the history of Egyptian obelisks and their relocation to European and American cities actually were fascinating as the subtitle claims, but I was disappointed that the author sidestepped a full examination of the ongoing political and cultural issues of this looting of national treasures to concentrate instead on the mechanics of lifting and shipping large rocks.

[Dru · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reasonably entertaining, and mostly accurate book. It's really *two* books, where the respective chapters flip back and forth between:
a) History of the Washington Monument
b) History of Egyptian obelisks

While separate histories, they are slightly interwoven, and the mix works.

I say it's mostly accurate, because his references to the height of WaMo only reference the crappy GPS work we did in 1999, which is not useful (too much multipath at the peak from the scaffolding), and didn't reference the much more accurate traditionally surveyed height as made in 2013. Considering this was published in 2016, the author had time to find and use this information.

A worthy addition to my WaMo library!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book that goes over the details and history of the Washington Monument. But it dies not stop there. John Gordon then shows the history of obelisks, where they can be found, how many of them have been transported, and how our modern cultures are still captivated by them. What a captivating book that will enlarge our views, deepen our understanding, and make the experience much sweeter each time we see or remember seeing one of these magnificent feats of engineering beauties!

[Geeta Ramani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Washington's Monument
The story of the iconic structure, is a story of worshipful perseverance, to erect an unusual memorial to the founding father.
But it is the history of the obelisk which is more interesting and ironic. The British (and French) have no hesitation in appropriating the historical and cultural heritage of the countries they conquered. And they decided to transport the heavy concrete obelisks to falsely add glamour to their own. It's a sad story of plunder, not only of wealth but also symbols of pride and history of other nations.

[PJ Wenzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more interesting than I would have thought. Yet, it wasn’t always very well told. It was interesting but not creatively written nor did it reach the level of fascination. It would make a great 45minute program on the history channel.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of obelisks in Egypt, where and how some of them ended up, to the building of the Washington Monument-the engineering, materials, costs, politics, etc.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good summary of the story behind the monument and the stories behind the other Egyptian obelisks in France, Rome, England and Manhattan . Many explanations of the mechanics involved.

[Deb Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Washington DC is a place I have always wanted to visit to see things like the Washington monument. This book provides a history of the struggle to find funding for the monument and gives readers an insiders's perspective on the structure itself.

Before I read this book, I had no real idea of just how tall the Washington Monument is or the maintainable involved in keeping the landmark in God shape.

Interestingly, the book is also a bit of a history of obelisks. And it tells the stories providing the technical details of moving obelisks from Egypt to Paris, England, and New York.

[Enid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun quick read about obelisks in general. The engineering feats of moving the obelisks was fascinating to read about. I also enjoyed reading about the politics behind many of these monuments. And there are tons of fun facts in this quirky little book- for instance, I learned that the Washington Monument is not truly an obelisk as it is not made from a single piece of stone. I think this was a good book to read in the physical form, as there are lots of great photos and diagrams which would not translate well on a Kindle, unless you have a Kindle Fire, IMO.

[Vincent T. Ciaramella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. It's really just the story of Obelisks in major cities (New York, DC, London, Paris). What I really liked about this book was the Victorian technology and problem solving that went into transporting these huge stones across the sea to their new homes. There is no linear story here but one will walk away with a new appreciation for these monuments, especially the Washington Monument. It's a short read as well that gets right to the point which I appreciate.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I would give this book 3.5 stars. Half of the book is dedicated to the history of the Washington Monument from dates, delays and the process to completion. The other half of this book is dedicated to the history of the Obelisk. I would say this history is interesting and informative rather than fascinating as the title of the book claims. I'm more knowledgable for reading this book. It's a fairly quick read and has excellent pictures.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this book out from my local library. I was only interested in the sections about Washington's monument but the information about engineering and ancient cultures was interesting, too. It's a wonder that Washington's monument even exists because so many different factions had opposing viewpoints. If it had been me, I would have just said, "the hell with it," and walked away. I don't have the patience to suffer fools!

[Tony Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read... includes a great snapshot of American history as well as the history of all the world's great obelisks, especially those that were first built by the Egyptians many centuries ago. Also full of lots of little known facts about the Washinton Monument as well as other well known monuments in America and Europe. An easy, fun book to read... I highly recommend it!

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book that quite satisfied the curiosity. It's not just the Washington Monument, but obelisks in general. I've never really understood the fascination and I still don't share the fascination with anyone, but my curiosity is satiated by this little book, chock full of footnote stories that reveal the breadth of Gordon's scholarship.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book has interesting stuff in in, only about 25% of it is about the Washington Monument. The rest is about other obelisks that were taken from Egypt and erected in other countries. There is also a short history about obelisks in general.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

extraordinary! wow-how they ever got it done boggles the mind-pretty good(for non-fiction!)
no errors. (altho author couldn't seem to decide which Mohammad/Muhammad he really wanted to use (was a little annoying)

[Deb Stransky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book on the building of Washington's Monument and the other obelisks around the world. Several obelisks were transferred whole from Egypt to other countries around the world including Cleopatra's Eye to NYC. Extremely fascinating!!!