The Prince of Wheelwrights: George Ferris and his Great Wheel. Jack Klasey, Looking Back Publications, April 21, 2021, Electronic and Print, 395 pages.
Review by T.L. Needham.
The Prince of Wheelwrights: George Ferris and his Great Wheel by Jack Klasey, is as magnificent an event in storytelling as the subject itself. Yet, one must ponder, what subject? Am I referring to the fantastic and brilliant creation, the Ferris Wheel? Or, the superb genius who created this glorious and magnificent monstrosity, as some would call it, George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.?
In this book, the story is brilliantly told by author Jack Klasey. He begins not with the great wheel but another magnificent engineering achievement in the late 19th century: in 1889, Gustave Eiffel’s 984-foot iron tower, conceived and erected in 1889 as a feature of the Paris Universal Exposition. This impressive engineering feat was the talk of the world, especially the engineering world, because it was unique, beautiful, and unprecedented.
Yet, one man was more than fascinated; George Ferris was inspired. He imagined an idea even grander than the great tower in Paris: a great wheel. And, not just a wheel on the horizontal, ala the Merry-Go-Round, but a vertical wheel that rose into the sky to a magnificent, thrilling height just as the great tower. But, unlike the Eiffel Tower, Ferris imagined a wheel that moved!
This brilliant feat of engineering grabs the reader’s attention early in this story. The author sets the stage for a tale of achievement that must overcome all the obstacles and challenges in the way. Author Klasey weaves a fascinating story of not just Ferris the engineer, but Ferris the man, who struggles against impossible odds and challenges to achieve his grand vision. To say this historical account is a page-turner would not be an exaggeration.
As I read this story, I found my admiration for the author’s brilliance eclipse the protagonists. Jack Klasey is an author with a wealth of experience and credentials in a multi-decade career in the writing profession, including newspaper reporting, technical writing, media author/producer and newspaper columnist, as well as technical books.
The Prince of Wheelwrights is an outstanding achievement that reads like a thrilling novel yet fascinates the reader in that this is, in fact, history and not fiction. This story reflects the great depth of research, skill, and commitment to telling a story that will inspire and entertain, just as its wonderful subject—THE FERRIS WHEEL.