to be had it not been for the destruction of the young city by British troops in 1814, or for Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the eccentric, passionate, difficult architect who fell in love with his adopted country. L’Enfant’s sweeping vision of a grand Federal City inspired President George Washington but earned the enmity of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who hated the idea of an imperial city. So was the capital born of feuding personalities, and located on the banks of the Potomac only after great political struggle. Master storyteller Les Standiford has once again written a compelling, quintessentially American story of hubris and achievement. “Masterful…For the lover of U.S. history or Washingtonian architecture or even basic political intrigue, this marvelous new history, probably the best to date on L'Enfant and his troubled life, is essential.” — Miami Herald "Scrupulously researched…Standiford has a novelist's gift for engaging, briskly paced narration."  –Library Journal

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