{"product_id":"last-train-to-paradise-henry-flagler-and-the-spectacular-rise-and-fall-of-the-railroad-that-crossed-an-ocean-9781400049479","title":"Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad That Crossed an Ocean","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad--one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the strongest storm ever to hit U.S. shores. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller, dreamed of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean--an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal. Many considered the project impossible, but build it they did. The railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as \"the Eighth Wonder of the World,\" until its total destruction in 1935's deadly storm of the century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn\u003ci\u003e Last Train to Paradise, \u003c\/i\u003eStandiford celebrates this crowning achievement of Gilded Age ambition, bringing to life a sweeping tale of the powerful forces of human ingenuity colliding with the even greater forces of nature's wrath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLes Standiford\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of ten critically acclaimed novels as well as several works of nonfiction including \u003ci\u003eLast Train to Paradise, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Meet You in Hell, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWashington Burning\u003c\/i\u003e. He has received the Frank O'Connor Award for Short Fiction and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is founding director of the creative writing program at Florida International University in Miami and was appointed holder of the Peter Meinke Chair in Creative Writing at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. He lives in Pinecrest, Florida, with his wife and three children.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Crown Publishing Group (NY)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50590889443602,"sku":"9781400049479","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_91729812-9b8a-448d-85fd-5a4ba62ba1c6.jpg?v=1732083551","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/last-train-to-paradise-henry-flagler-and-the-spectacular-rise-and-fall-of-the-railroad-that-crossed-an-ocean-9781400049479","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}