Jumbo's Hide, Elvis's Ride, and the Tooth of Buddha : More Marvelous Tales of Historical Artifacts

Once again historian Harvey Rachlin uncovers odd and stirring stories behind some of the most fascinating objects in the world. "Jumbo's Hide," Publisher's Weekly writes, "is entertaining and enlightening … a pageant of human aspiration, achievement, obsession, and belief." Artifacts explored include: The truce flag that ended World War I, The Maltese Falcon, John Adam's pigtail and Jesse James' Stickpin and Galileo's middle finger. JUMBO'S HIDE ELVIS'S RIDE AND THE TOOTH OF BUDDHA......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 8 The Tooth of the Buddha......Page 11 The Gold Larnax of King Philip II......Page 18 The Magna Carta......Page 22 The Stone of Scone......Page 27 The Essex Ring......Page 32 Galileo's Middle Finger......Page 38 George Washington's Schoolboy Copybooks......Page 43 John Harrison's Fourth Marine Timekeeper......Page 49 The Virginia Declaration of Rights......Page 53 The Rising Sun Chair......Page 59 The Louisiana Purchase Treaty......Page 66 The Lewis and Clark Journals......Page 72 Beethoven's Ear Trumpets......Page 81 Harrison's Peace Pipes......Page 84 John Adams's Pigtail......Page 90 The Doubleday Ball......Page 102 Vendovi's Head......Page 118 The Battle Sword of Colonel Najera......Page 126 Charles Dickens's Prompt-Copy of A Christmas Carol......Page 131 The First American Flag Raised in Japan......Page 139 The Emancipation Proclamation......Page 147 Slices of Tom Thumb's Wedding Cake......Page 153 Thomas Edison's Original Tinfoil Phonograph......Page 160 Jesse James's Stickpin......Page 166 Ulysses S. Grant's Smoking Stand......Page 176 Jumbo the Elephant......Page 181 Freud's Couch......Page 184 The Hoof of Fire Horse Number Twelve......Page 188 "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"......Page 191 Mark Twain's Orchestrelle......Page 197 The Zimmermann Telegram......Page 201 The Fourteen Points......Page 206 The Truce Flag That Ended World War I......Page 212 Wyatt Earp's Drawing of the O.K. Corral Gunfight......Page 216 The Maltese Falcon......Page 221 Monty's Battle Caravans......Page 224 The World War II Japanese Surrender Table......Page 228 Eniac......Page 236 Marilyn Monroe's Billowing Dress from The Seven Year Itch......Page 239 Elvis Presley's Purple Cadillac......Page 244 Able the Space Monkey......Page 247 Odyssey......Page 252 The Gun That Killed John Lennon......Page 259 Acknowledgments......Page 264 Sources and Bibliography......Page 270 Search Words......Page 285 Illustration Credits......Page 305 Leap across time with bestselling author Harvey Rachlin as he collects over 50 of the most fascinating objects in the world, under one book. The Mounted Hide of Stonewall Jackson's Battle Horse, The Black Obelisk, The Rosetta Stone, George Washington's False Teeth, Vice Admiral Lord Nelson's Uniform Coat, The Elephant Man's Skeleton, and Lincoln's Death Bed are just some of the objects Rachlin explores with wit, pick and an amazing sense of spectacle. Publisher's Weekly calls Lucy's Bone's, Sacred Stones, and Einstein's Brain ""entertaining and enlightening."" Library Journal declares Rachin's Looks at forty historical artifacts that provide a key glimpse into the past, ranging from tracing the four extant copies of the Magna Carta to the search for Marilyn Monroe's white dress from "The Seven Year Itch." A new book by the beloved author of *Lucy's Bones, Sacred Stones, and Einstein's Brain* and History Channel consultant provides fascinating, often hilarious pedigrees for forty important historical artifacts.