Meredith Henne Baker holds a graduate degree in American history and a museum studies certificate from the College of William and Mary. A former boarding-school history instructor and urban public-school administrator, she currently resides in Washington, D.C.
"The Richmond Theater Fire is totally engrossing, a real page
turner. Baker ably depicts the vibrancy of social and cultural life
in early Richmond, and captures the horror, chaos, and shock of
this terrible conflagration. She does a marvelous job of unearthing
and marshaling primary sources to recreate for us the most detailed
and heartbreaking account of this disaster that I have ever
read."--Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, author of Celebrate Richmond
Theater
"Much more than just the dramatic exposition of a horrific disaster
in which notable families suffered losses, Baker's gracefully
written book tells the story of nineteenth-century Richmond's
cultural transformation. The theater had its friends and foes--it
was thought by some a welcome place for amusement, and judged by
others a 'school of vice.' The author moves deftly through such
subjects as public safety, personal reputations, fixation on death,
and the tenacity of religious values. A solid contribution to early
American history."--Nancy Isenberg, author of Fallen Founder: The
Life of Aaron Burr
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