Chicago’s Awful Theatre Horror – by the Survivor and Rescuers.

Chicago’s Awful Theater Horror was published in 1904 by Memorial Publishing Co. and is presented as an account “by the survivors and rescuers,” with an introduction by Bishop Samuel Fallows. Its full title page describes the book as a “vivid picture, both by pen and camera” of one of the greatest fire horrors of modern times, including survivor narratives, rescue work, expert reports on responsibility, and earlier notable fires. The book concerns the Iroquois Theatre fire of December 30, 1903, which occurred during a holiday matinee performance of Mr. Bluebeard in Chicago. The book describes the audience as heavily composed of women and children, and it presents the event as a sudden transformation of a festive theatrical performance into a catastrophic fire and panic. Modern summaries generally identify the Iroquois Theatre fire as causing 602 deaths and about 250 non-fatal injuries, making it the deadliest theatre fire in U.S. history; the book itself, written immediately after the event, repeatedly refers to “nearly 600” lives lost. A memorial and investigative account, combining eyewitness narratives, rescue stories, photographs, funeral scenes, official testimony, safety criticism, religious reflection, and a list of victims. Its central argument is that the disaster was not an act of fate but the result of preventable human negligence: failed fireproofing, inadequate exits, poor enforcement, defective equipment, lack of training, and civic complacency. Hardcover; 368 pages with 27 photographs following the text and pages 161 - 176 consisting of illustrations and photographs depicting the fire and its aftermath. Condition: About VG minus; binding is sound but front board is scuffed and stained. Text block VG. *Please note: this volume will ship from Canada. Shipping costs have increased dramatically recently. DO NOT rely on the shipping quotes in my listing. I will obtain a quote if you are interested. However, generally shipping outside Canada is now too expensive except for books of high value.…