Author: Quentin McGown
Publisher: Turner
ISBN: 9781596523173
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
Fort Worth is an American city quintessentially founded upon change. From its birth to the present, Fort Worth has consistently built and reshaped its appearance, ideals, and industry. Through changing fortunes, Fort Worth has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong, independent culture of its citizens. Historic Photos of Fort Worth captures this journey through still photography selected from the finest archives. From the Texas Spring Palace to Armour and Swift, the Carnegie Library to the Casa Manana and Frontier Centennial, Historic Photos of Fort Worth follows life, government, education, and events throughout the city's history. This volume captures unique and rare scenes through the lens of hundreds of historic photographs. Published in striking black and white, these images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city.
Historic Photos of Fort Worth
Author: Quentin McGown
Publisher: Turner
ISBN: 9781596523173
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
Fort Worth is an American city quintessentially founded upon change. From its birth to the present, Fort Worth has consistently built and reshaped its appearance, ideals, and industry. Through changing fortunes, Fort Worth has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong, independent culture of its citizens. Historic Photos of Fort Worth captures this journey through still photography selected from the finest archives. From the Texas Spring Palace to Armour and Swift, the Carnegie Library to the Casa Manana and Frontier Centennial, Historic Photos of Fort Worth follows life, government, education, and events throughout the city's history. This volume captures unique and rare scenes through the lens of hundreds of historic photographs. Published in striking black and white, these images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city.
Publisher: Turner
ISBN: 9781596523173
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
Fort Worth is an American city quintessentially founded upon change. From its birth to the present, Fort Worth has consistently built and reshaped its appearance, ideals, and industry. Through changing fortunes, Fort Worth has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong, independent culture of its citizens. Historic Photos of Fort Worth captures this journey through still photography selected from the finest archives. From the Texas Spring Palace to Armour and Swift, the Carnegie Library to the Casa Manana and Frontier Centennial, Historic Photos of Fort Worth follows life, government, education, and events throughout the city's history. This volume captures unique and rare scenes through the lens of hundreds of historic photographs. Published in striking black and white, these images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city.
Remembering Fort Worth
Author:
Publisher: Remembering
ISBN: 9781684422456
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
From its birth to the present, Fort Worth has consistently built and reshaped its appearance, ideals, and industry. Through changing fortunes, the city has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong, independent culture of its citizens. With a selection of fine historic images from his best-selling book Historic Photos of Fort Worth, Quentin McGown provides a valuable and revealing historical retrospective on the growth and development of Fort Worth. Remembering Fort Worth captures this journey through still photography selected from the finest archives. From its early days to the recent past, Remembering Fort Worth follows life, government, education, and events throughout the city's history. This volume captures unique and rare scenes through the lens of more than a hundred historic photographs. Published in vivid black-and-white, these images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city.
Publisher: Remembering
ISBN: 9781684422456
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
From its birth to the present, Fort Worth has consistently built and reshaped its appearance, ideals, and industry. Through changing fortunes, the city has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong, independent culture of its citizens. With a selection of fine historic images from his best-selling book Historic Photos of Fort Worth, Quentin McGown provides a valuable and revealing historical retrospective on the growth and development of Fort Worth. Remembering Fort Worth captures this journey through still photography selected from the finest archives. From its early days to the recent past, Remembering Fort Worth follows life, government, education, and events throughout the city's history. This volume captures unique and rare scenes through the lens of more than a hundred historic photographs. Published in vivid black-and-white, these images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city.
Fort Worth Stories
Author: Richard F. Selcer
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
ISBN: 1574418386
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
Fort Worth Stories is a collection of thirty-two bite-sized chapters of the city’s history. Did you know that the same day Fort Worth was mourning the death of beloved African American “Gooseneck Bill” McDonald, Dallas was experiencing a series of bombings in black neighborhoods? Or that Fort Worth almost got the largest statue to Robert E. Lee ever put up anywhere, sculpted by the same massive talent that created Mount Rushmore? Or that Fort Worth was once the candy-making capital of the Southwest and gave Hershey, Pennsylvania, a good run for its money as the sweet spot of the nation? A remarkable number of national figures have made a splash in Fort Worth, including Theodore Roosevelt while he was President; Vernon Castle, the Dance King; Dr. H.H. Holmes, America’s first serial killer; Harry Houdini, the escape artist; and Texas Guinan, star of the vaudeville stage and the big screen. Fort Worth Stories is illustrated with 50 photographs and drawings, many of them never before published. This collection of stories will appeal to all who appreciate the Cowtown city.
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
ISBN: 1574418386
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
Fort Worth Stories is a collection of thirty-two bite-sized chapters of the city’s history. Did you know that the same day Fort Worth was mourning the death of beloved African American “Gooseneck Bill” McDonald, Dallas was experiencing a series of bombings in black neighborhoods? Or that Fort Worth almost got the largest statue to Robert E. Lee ever put up anywhere, sculpted by the same massive talent that created Mount Rushmore? Or that Fort Worth was once the candy-making capital of the Southwest and gave Hershey, Pennsylvania, a good run for its money as the sweet spot of the nation? A remarkable number of national figures have made a splash in Fort Worth, including Theodore Roosevelt while he was President; Vernon Castle, the Dance King; Dr. H.H. Holmes, America’s first serial killer; Harry Houdini, the escape artist; and Texas Guinan, star of the vaudeville stage and the big screen. Fort Worth Stories is illustrated with 50 photographs and drawings, many of them never before published. This collection of stories will appeal to all who appreciate the Cowtown city.
Fort Worth Then and Now
Author: Carol E. Roark
Publisher: Texas Christian University Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184
Book Description
Although the details fade with time, our memory of the location doesn't change substantially - the way the place looked, our sense of how people used it or the feelings it evoked. In reality, though, things do change whether the alterations involve only minor details or major changes to the landscape and buildings.".
Publisher: Texas Christian University Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184
Book Description
Although the details fade with time, our memory of the location doesn't change substantially - the way the place looked, our sense of how people used it or the feelings it evoked. In reality, though, things do change whether the alterations involve only minor details or major changes to the landscape and buildings.".
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free
Author: Alice Faye Duncan
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400231272
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32
Book Description
Booklist starred review Black activist Opal Lee had a vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone. This true story celebrates Black joy and inspires children to see their dreams blossom. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon discovered that many Americans had never heard of the holiday. Join Opal on her historic journey to recognize and celebrate "freedom for all." Every year, Opal looked forward to the Juneteenth picnic—a drumming, dancing, delicious party. She knew from Granddaddy Zak's stories that Juneteenth celebrated the day the freedom news of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation finally sailed into Texas in 1865—over two years after the president had declared it! But Opal didn't always see freedom in her Texas town. Then one Juneteenth day when Opal was twelve years old, an angry crowd burned down her brand-new home. This wasn't freedom at all. She had to do something! But could one person’s voice make a difference? Could Opal bring about national recognition of Juneteenth? Follow Opal Lee as she fights to improve the future by honoring the past. Through the story of Opal Lee's determination and persistence, children ages 4 to 8 will learn: all people are created equal the power of bravery and using your voice for change the history of Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, and what it means today no one is free unless everyone is free fighting for a dream is worth the difficulty experienced along the way Featuring the illustrations of New York Times bestselling illustrator Keturah A. Bobo (I am Enough), Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free by Alice Faye Duncan celebrates the life and legacy of a modern-day Black leader while sharing a message of hope, unity, joy, and strength.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400231272
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32
Book Description
Booklist starred review Black activist Opal Lee had a vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone. This true story celebrates Black joy and inspires children to see their dreams blossom. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon discovered that many Americans had never heard of the holiday. Join Opal on her historic journey to recognize and celebrate "freedom for all." Every year, Opal looked forward to the Juneteenth picnic—a drumming, dancing, delicious party. She knew from Granddaddy Zak's stories that Juneteenth celebrated the day the freedom news of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation finally sailed into Texas in 1865—over two years after the president had declared it! But Opal didn't always see freedom in her Texas town. Then one Juneteenth day when Opal was twelve years old, an angry crowd burned down her brand-new home. This wasn't freedom at all. She had to do something! But could one person’s voice make a difference? Could Opal bring about national recognition of Juneteenth? Follow Opal Lee as she fights to improve the future by honoring the past. Through the story of Opal Lee's determination and persistence, children ages 4 to 8 will learn: all people are created equal the power of bravery and using your voice for change the history of Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, and what it means today no one is free unless everyone is free fighting for a dream is worth the difficulty experienced along the way Featuring the illustrations of New York Times bestselling illustrator Keturah A. Bobo (I am Enough), Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free by Alice Faye Duncan celebrates the life and legacy of a modern-day Black leader while sharing a message of hope, unity, joy, and strength.
A Land Remembered
Author: Patrick D Smith
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1561645826
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
A Land Remembered has become Florida's favorite novel. Now this Student Edition in two volumes makes this rich, rugged story of the American pioneer spirit more accessible to young readers. Patrick Smith tells of three generations of the MacIveys, a Florida family battling the hardships of the frontier. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias and Emma MacIvey arrive in the Florida wilderness with their son, Zech, to start a new life, and ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that his wealth has not been worth the cost to the land. Between is a sweeping story rich in Florida history with a cast of memorable characters who battle wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the Florida swamp. In this volume, meet young Zech MacIvey, who learns to ride like the wind through the Florida scrub on Ishmael, his marshtackie horse, his dogs, Nip and Tuck, at this side. His parents, Tobias and Emma, scratch a living from the land, gathering wild cows from the swamp and herding them across the state to market. Zech learns the ways of the land from the Seminoles, with whom his life becomes entwined as he grows into manhood. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1561645826
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
A Land Remembered has become Florida's favorite novel. Now this Student Edition in two volumes makes this rich, rugged story of the American pioneer spirit more accessible to young readers. Patrick Smith tells of three generations of the MacIveys, a Florida family battling the hardships of the frontier. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias and Emma MacIvey arrive in the Florida wilderness with their son, Zech, to start a new life, and ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that his wealth has not been worth the cost to the land. Between is a sweeping story rich in Florida history with a cast of memorable characters who battle wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the Florida swamp. In this volume, meet young Zech MacIvey, who learns to ride like the wind through the Florida scrub on Ishmael, his marshtackie horse, his dogs, Nip and Tuck, at this side. His parents, Tobias and Emma, scratch a living from the land, gathering wild cows from the swamp and herding them across the state to market. Zech learns the ways of the land from the Seminoles, with whom his life becomes entwined as he grows into manhood. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series
Lost Restaurants of Fort Worth
Author: Celestina Blok
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1467137979
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 1
Book Description
Despite a thriving culinary scene, Fort Worth lost some of its most iconic restaurants decades ago. Locals still buzz about the legendary chili dished out at historic Richelieu Grill and the potato soup Sammy's served all night. Fort Worth could accommodate every palate, from the Bakon Burger at Carlson's Drive-Inn to the escargot and chateaubriand laid out at the Carriage House. Even movie stars like Bob Hope and Gene Autry frequented the city for steaks from the Seibold Café, and President Lyndon B. Johnson loved Cowtown for the barbecue from famed chuckwagon cook Walter Jetton. Join food writer Celestina Blok as she journeys through her hometown's dining past.
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1467137979
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 1
Book Description
Despite a thriving culinary scene, Fort Worth lost some of its most iconic restaurants decades ago. Locals still buzz about the legendary chili dished out at historic Richelieu Grill and the potato soup Sammy's served all night. Fort Worth could accommodate every palate, from the Bakon Burger at Carlson's Drive-Inn to the escargot and chateaubriand laid out at the Carriage House. Even movie stars like Bob Hope and Gene Autry frequented the city for steaks from the Seibold Café, and President Lyndon B. Johnson loved Cowtown for the barbecue from famed chuckwagon cook Walter Jetton. Join food writer Celestina Blok as she journeys through her hometown's dining past.
Sweetie Ladd's Historic Fort Worth
Author: Cissy Stewart Lale
Publisher: TCU Press
ISBN: 9780875651965
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 94
Book Description
Sweetie Ladd was Fort Worth's own "Grandma" Moses, a folk artist who captured the city's history in watercolor and lithograph. In her sixties when she began painting, Ladd once told a fellow artist she didn't know how she achieved her distinctive style. "Just paint poorly, dear," she advised. In truth, she had attended painting workshops in Paris, Spain, and Mexico and studied under Fort Worth artist Bror Utter. After she took a class on perspective, her teacher advised her to discontinue formal training and paint what came naturally. Sweetie Ladd's Historic Fort Worth presents twenty-eight paintings from the Landmark Series, paintings of historic Fort Worth structures, many of which no longer stand today: the T&P Station, Lake Como Pavilion, the Nine-Mile Bridge Casino, the Worth Hotel, the lobby of the Majestic Theater, Goat Island, and the Lake Erie Interurban. The book also contains the "Cries of Fort Worth" series based on Wheatley's "Cries of London." These ten paintings portray such old-time peddlars as the ice man, the scissor man, the bottleman, and the tamale seller. Ladd didn't simply draw the buildings or landmarks. She put them in an action setting. "The Day Fort Worth Burned" shows several young children watching the flames from a field. Two of the children are Sweetie Ladd and her sister, who were in that very field that day. Two young boys also watching could have been the Monnig brothers, Otto and Oscar. She remembered they were there that day. Other pictures include names longtime Fort Worth residents will find familiar: the horse-drawn Ballard Ice Cream Truck passes in front of the Scott home, now known as Thistle Hill; Mrs. Baird's Bread is the sign on a horse-drawn carriage in "The Breadman"; a Stripling's delivery cart is in front of the J. E. Moore home (now part of the Woman's Club); a horse-drawn funeral procession passes in front of the old Washer Brothers building; and Fuqua's Grocery sits next to Anderson Drugs in "Extra--Extra," one of the "Cries" series in which a young boy passes out the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Sweetie Ladd's paintings were shown at the Woman's Club of Fort Worth and accepted in juried shows of the University of Texas at Arlington, the Fort Worth Art Museum, and the Texas Fine Arts Association. These historical paintings are now owned by the Fort Worth Public Library and have been reproduced with their cooperation. Cissy Stewart Lale's text elucidates each painting, explaining details and their historical significance. The book begins with brief essays on Mrs. Ladd and Fort Worth history.
Publisher: TCU Press
ISBN: 9780875651965
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 94
Book Description
Sweetie Ladd was Fort Worth's own "Grandma" Moses, a folk artist who captured the city's history in watercolor and lithograph. In her sixties when she began painting, Ladd once told a fellow artist she didn't know how she achieved her distinctive style. "Just paint poorly, dear," she advised. In truth, she had attended painting workshops in Paris, Spain, and Mexico and studied under Fort Worth artist Bror Utter. After she took a class on perspective, her teacher advised her to discontinue formal training and paint what came naturally. Sweetie Ladd's Historic Fort Worth presents twenty-eight paintings from the Landmark Series, paintings of historic Fort Worth structures, many of which no longer stand today: the T&P Station, Lake Como Pavilion, the Nine-Mile Bridge Casino, the Worth Hotel, the lobby of the Majestic Theater, Goat Island, and the Lake Erie Interurban. The book also contains the "Cries of Fort Worth" series based on Wheatley's "Cries of London." These ten paintings portray such old-time peddlars as the ice man, the scissor man, the bottleman, and the tamale seller. Ladd didn't simply draw the buildings or landmarks. She put them in an action setting. "The Day Fort Worth Burned" shows several young children watching the flames from a field. Two of the children are Sweetie Ladd and her sister, who were in that very field that day. Two young boys also watching could have been the Monnig brothers, Otto and Oscar. She remembered they were there that day. Other pictures include names longtime Fort Worth residents will find familiar: the horse-drawn Ballard Ice Cream Truck passes in front of the Scott home, now known as Thistle Hill; Mrs. Baird's Bread is the sign on a horse-drawn carriage in "The Breadman"; a Stripling's delivery cart is in front of the J. E. Moore home (now part of the Woman's Club); a horse-drawn funeral procession passes in front of the old Washer Brothers building; and Fuqua's Grocery sits next to Anderson Drugs in "Extra--Extra," one of the "Cries" series in which a young boy passes out the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Sweetie Ladd's paintings were shown at the Woman's Club of Fort Worth and accepted in juried shows of the University of Texas at Arlington, the Fort Worth Art Museum, and the Texas Fine Arts Association. These historical paintings are now owned by the Fort Worth Public Library and have been reproduced with their cooperation. Cissy Stewart Lale's text elucidates each painting, explaining details and their historical significance. The book begins with brief essays on Mrs. Ladd and Fort Worth history.
Written in Blood Volume 2
Author: Richard F. Selcer
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
ISBN: 1574413236
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 452
Book Description
In 2010 "Written in Blood Volume 1" told the stories of thirteen law officers who died in the line of duty between 1861 and 1909. Now Selcer and Foster are back with Volume 2 covering more line-of-duty deaths. This volume covers 1910 to 1928, as Fort Worth experiences a race riot, lynchings, bushwhacking, assassinations and martial law imposed by the U.S. Army.
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
ISBN: 1574413236
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 452
Book Description
In 2010 "Written in Blood Volume 1" told the stories of thirteen law officers who died in the line of duty between 1861 and 1909. Now Selcer and Foster are back with Volume 2 covering more line-of-duty deaths. This volume covers 1910 to 1928, as Fort Worth experiences a race riot, lynchings, bushwhacking, assassinations and martial law imposed by the U.S. Army.
Red Fort: Remembering the Magnificent Mughals
Author: Debasish Das
Publisher: BecomeShakespeare.com
ISBN: 8194394171
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 373
Book Description
Today, we associate the Red Fort with the view of the Prime Minister proudly unfurling the national flag every year on 15 August on the massive red wall curtain. To children and even most of us, the Red Fort is only this view that is broadcast on television. It is the ubiquitous image often used in marketing as well. Many of us haven’t even bothered to go inside the Fort, and many, including me, satisfied ourselves with our photos taken in front of this wall. This actually is a later addition erected by Shah Jahan’s son Aurangzeb. The Red Fort is much more than this red wall and the platform where the prime minister delivers his speech. In the book, the author attempts to swipe aside the wall and take a deep dive inside the Fort – not just the physical structures but how exactly the planning was done to create a truly complex and artistic palace fortress, to explore the Mughal way of life with their festivals, ceremonies, food and clothing amongst other themes. The beauty of the fort can only be understood and best appreciated from the string of apartments that once lined the river Yamuna on its opposite side. It must have been beautiful indeed to glide down the Yamuna on a boat and appreciate all the buildings that housed the emperor’s private quarters. Now the river has receded afar, but in olden times the various private apartments such as the Rang mahal, Khwabgah (‘abode of dreams’) or the emperor’s bed-chamber as well as the famous Diwan-e-Khas where the Mughal Emperor sat on the Peacock Throne were lined along the river front. There is a reason why the pioneering British historian-explorer James Fergusson termed the Red Fort ‘the most magnificent palace in the East.’ It was a creative venture well integrated to a new city and was truly unrivalled with respect to its design as well as functioning. The book also highlights that, though separated in time by more than three centuries from today, we can still visualize how the unsure footsteps which Babur took in Hindustan took shape in the reign of Shah Jahan, a connoisseur of art and culture. Descending on one side from Genghis Khan and the brutal Tamerlane on the other, Babur gained an irreversible entry to India in the plains of Panipat almost unexpectedly, by defeating a mammoth army of Ibrahim Lodi in 1526. The Mughals, which was the Persian word for ‘Mongols’, set up an incredible empire in Agra and Delhi, to which were born great emperors like Akbar and Shah Jahan. Apart from magnificent monuments they also built a truly syncretic culture of shared values, encouraged free exchange of knowledge and established rituals, customs and festivals that assimilated age-old traditions from east and west. Even the Taj Mahal, described by Rabindranath Tagore as a ‘teardrop on the face of Time’, was built as a symbol of love of a king to his departed queen, like an re-incarnation of Majnun for his Laila, so different from the obvious imagery that a barbaric king may evoke in one’s mind. Similarly, the Red Fort of Delhi was the culmination of Mughal soft power. With profusely laid flower and fruit-bearing char-bagh gardens criss-crossed with streams of water canals, it was layered in symbolism that art historians find interesting even after many centuries to discuss elements that give it a sense of freshness even with the mere empty shell of buildings left behind after 1857. As the author says, “Delhi however lived up to its reputation of slipping through the very fingers of those who attempted to raise a new city here: starting with Prithvi Raj Chauhan’s Lal Kot; Allauddin Khilji’s Siri; the Tughluq trio’s troika of Tughluqabad, Jahanpanah & Kotla Firuz Shah; Humayun’s Dinpanah and later Lutyen’s Delhi of the British; Shah Jahan’s majestic offering to the city of his choice was soon to be destroyed by fate.” The narrative follows the incidents of 1857 till the British Durbars and highlights that the Fort was not the home of the Mughals only in their prime, but also in their decline and till their very extinction. The book seeks to present the lived culture of Mughals in all its multiple facets. The book is divided in four parts. In Part 1 the focus is on the Imperial court and the court etiquette, cultivation of Persian and its enrichment with translations from Sanskrit, patronage of Hindu and Jain scholars. Part 2 contains detailed accounts of the Red Fort and the symbolism of its architecture, the philosophy of jharokha darshan, ceremonies, games and pastimes, the material culture of costumes and jewellery, food, drink and perfumery. The remaining two parts deal with the decline and fall of the Mughal rule and the British Colonial Durbars at the Red Fort. The broadly historical narrative is enlivened by various anecdotes.
Publisher: BecomeShakespeare.com
ISBN: 8194394171
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 373
Book Description
Today, we associate the Red Fort with the view of the Prime Minister proudly unfurling the national flag every year on 15 August on the massive red wall curtain. To children and even most of us, the Red Fort is only this view that is broadcast on television. It is the ubiquitous image often used in marketing as well. Many of us haven’t even bothered to go inside the Fort, and many, including me, satisfied ourselves with our photos taken in front of this wall. This actually is a later addition erected by Shah Jahan’s son Aurangzeb. The Red Fort is much more than this red wall and the platform where the prime minister delivers his speech. In the book, the author attempts to swipe aside the wall and take a deep dive inside the Fort – not just the physical structures but how exactly the planning was done to create a truly complex and artistic palace fortress, to explore the Mughal way of life with their festivals, ceremonies, food and clothing amongst other themes. The beauty of the fort can only be understood and best appreciated from the string of apartments that once lined the river Yamuna on its opposite side. It must have been beautiful indeed to glide down the Yamuna on a boat and appreciate all the buildings that housed the emperor’s private quarters. Now the river has receded afar, but in olden times the various private apartments such as the Rang mahal, Khwabgah (‘abode of dreams’) or the emperor’s bed-chamber as well as the famous Diwan-e-Khas where the Mughal Emperor sat on the Peacock Throne were lined along the river front. There is a reason why the pioneering British historian-explorer James Fergusson termed the Red Fort ‘the most magnificent palace in the East.’ It was a creative venture well integrated to a new city and was truly unrivalled with respect to its design as well as functioning. The book also highlights that, though separated in time by more than three centuries from today, we can still visualize how the unsure footsteps which Babur took in Hindustan took shape in the reign of Shah Jahan, a connoisseur of art and culture. Descending on one side from Genghis Khan and the brutal Tamerlane on the other, Babur gained an irreversible entry to India in the plains of Panipat almost unexpectedly, by defeating a mammoth army of Ibrahim Lodi in 1526. The Mughals, which was the Persian word for ‘Mongols’, set up an incredible empire in Agra and Delhi, to which were born great emperors like Akbar and Shah Jahan. Apart from magnificent monuments they also built a truly syncretic culture of shared values, encouraged free exchange of knowledge and established rituals, customs and festivals that assimilated age-old traditions from east and west. Even the Taj Mahal, described by Rabindranath Tagore as a ‘teardrop on the face of Time’, was built as a symbol of love of a king to his departed queen, like an re-incarnation of Majnun for his Laila, so different from the obvious imagery that a barbaric king may evoke in one’s mind. Similarly, the Red Fort of Delhi was the culmination of Mughal soft power. With profusely laid flower and fruit-bearing char-bagh gardens criss-crossed with streams of water canals, it was layered in symbolism that art historians find interesting even after many centuries to discuss elements that give it a sense of freshness even with the mere empty shell of buildings left behind after 1857. As the author says, “Delhi however lived up to its reputation of slipping through the very fingers of those who attempted to raise a new city here: starting with Prithvi Raj Chauhan’s Lal Kot; Allauddin Khilji’s Siri; the Tughluq trio’s troika of Tughluqabad, Jahanpanah & Kotla Firuz Shah; Humayun’s Dinpanah and later Lutyen’s Delhi of the British; Shah Jahan’s majestic offering to the city of his choice was soon to be destroyed by fate.” The narrative follows the incidents of 1857 till the British Durbars and highlights that the Fort was not the home of the Mughals only in their prime, but also in their decline and till their very extinction. The book seeks to present the lived culture of Mughals in all its multiple facets. The book is divided in four parts. In Part 1 the focus is on the Imperial court and the court etiquette, cultivation of Persian and its enrichment with translations from Sanskrit, patronage of Hindu and Jain scholars. Part 2 contains detailed accounts of the Red Fort and the symbolism of its architecture, the philosophy of jharokha darshan, ceremonies, games and pastimes, the material culture of costumes and jewellery, food, drink and perfumery. The remaining two parts deal with the decline and fall of the Mughal rule and the British Colonial Durbars at the Red Fort. The broadly historical narrative is enlivened by various anecdotes.