Death of an Empire: The Rise and Murderous Fall of Salem, America's Richest City (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780312540388)

Most readers know Salem only for the city's notorious witch trials. But years later it became a very different city, one that produced America's first millionaire (still one of history's 75 wealthiest men) and boasted a maritime trade that made it the country's richest city. Westward expansion and the industrial revolution would eventually erode Salem's political importance, but it was a shocking murder and the scandal that followed which led at last to its fall from national prominence.

Death of an Empire is a finely-written tale of a little-known but remarkably rich era of American history, drawing in characters such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Quincy Adams, and Daniel Webster.

Author: Robert Booth
ISBN-10: 0312540388
ISBN-13: 9780312540388
Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
Language: English
Published: 08/16/2011
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 07/01/2011 pg. 91
Booklist 07/01/2011 pg. 16