Book description
Welcome to America at the turn of the twentieth century, where the
rhythms of ragtime set the beat. Harry Houdini astonishes audiences with
magical feats of escape, the mighty J. P. Morgan dominates the financial
world and Henry Ford manufactures cars by making men into machines. Emma
Goldman preaches free love and feminism, while ex-chorus girl Evelyn
Nesbitt inspires a mad millionaire to murder the architect Stanford
White. In this stunningly original chronicle of an age, such real-life
characters intermingle with three remarkable families, one black, one
Jewish and one prosperous WASP, to create a dazzling literary mosaic
that brings to life an era of dire poverty, fabulous wealth, and
incredible change - in short, the era of ragtime.
E. L. Doctorow is one of America's most accomplished and acclaimed
living writers. Winner of the National Book Award, the National Book
Critics Circle Award (twice), the PEN/Faulkner Award, and the National
Humanities Medal, he is the author of nine novels that have explored
the drama of American life from the late 19th century to the 21st.
Al Alvarez is a poet, literary critic, and author of many
non-fiction books on topics ranging from suicide, divorce and dreams -
The Savage God, Life After Marriage, Night - to poker and
mountaineering - The Biggest Game in Town, Offshore. He was poetry
editor of The Observer from 1956-66. He has contributed regularly to
The New York Review of Books and The New Yorker. His most recent books
are an autobiography, Where Did It All Go Right?, New & Selected
Poems and The Writer's Voice. He lives in London.
