The Triangle Fire

by Leon Stein, Michael Hirsch (Foreword by), William Greider (Introduction)

Overview

"Leon Stein’s gripping narrative of the Triangle tragedy is one of the classics of American history. As the grandson of a onetime Triangle seamstress, I salute the reissue of a book that anyone who cares about labor, past or present, should read."—Michael Kazin, Georgetown University, author of The Populist Persuasion: An American History and other books

Praise for the 1962 edition—
"Stein recreates the tragic events of the fire in all their dramatic intensity. His moving account is a work of dedication."—New York Times Book Review

"With commendable restraint, Stein uses newspapers, official documents, and the evidence of survivors to unfold a story made more harrowing by the unemotional simplicity of its narration."—Library Journal

"Stein... suggests that the fire alerted the public to shocking working conditions all over the city and helped the unions organize the clothing industry, but his good taste keeps him from selling the reader any silver lining. A by-product of the careful research that has gone into this excellent narrative is an interesting sketch of the hard lives and times of working girls in the days when the business of America was business."—New Yorker

March 25, 2011, marks the centennial of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, in which 146 garment workers lost their lives. A work of history relevant for all those who continue the fight for workers’ rights and safety, this edition of Leon Stein’s classic account of the fire features a substantial new foreword by the labor journalist Michael Hirsch, as well as a new appendix listing all of the victims’ names, for the first time, along with addresses at the time of their death and locations of their final resting places.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801462504
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	01/15/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

The late Leon Stein was the editor of Justice, the official publication of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. He was also the editor of Out of the Sweatshop: The Struggle for Industrial Democracy. Michael Hirsch is a labor journalist and coproducer of the 2011 HBO documentary Triangle: Remembering the Fire. William Greider, national affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine, is author most recently of Come Home, America: The Rise and Fall (and Redeeming Promise) of Our Country.

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Centennial Edition
By Michael HirschIntroduction to the 2001 Cornell Edition:
"Who Will Protect the Working Girl?"
By William GreiderPart I
1. Fire
2. Trap
3. Eighth
4. Tenth
5. Ninth
6. Escape
7. Night
8. Day
9. MorguePart II
10. Guilt
11. Help
12. Protest
13. Dirge
14. Shirtwaist
15. Protection
16. Justice
17. Phoenix
18. FirePostscript
IndexNew to the Centennial Edition: Triangle Fire Victims
Compiled by Michael Hirsch
This is the definitive list of the people who died in the Triangle Fire, and includes their likely age and address at the time of their death, sex, birth country, religion, and final resting place.

What People are Saying About This

Michael Kazin

Leon Stein's gripping narrative of the Triangle tragedy is one of the classics of American history. As the grandson of a onetime Triangle seamstress, I salute the reissue of a book that anyone who cares about labor, past or present, should read.

Editorial Reviews

Stein recreates the tragic events of the fire in all their dramatic intensity. His moving account is a work of dedication.

New York Times Book Review

Stein suggests that the fire alerted the public to shocking working conditions all over the city and helped the unions organize the clothing industry, but his good taste keeps him from selling the reader any silver lining. A by-product of the careful research that has gone into this excellent narrative is an interesting sketch of the hard lives and times of working girls in the days when the business of America was business.

The New Yorker

Stein recreates the tragic events of the fire in all their dramatic intensity. His moving account is a work of dedication.

-- "New York Times Book Review"

Stein suggests that the fire alerted the public to shocking working conditions all over the city and helped the unions organize the clothing industry, but his good taste keeps him from selling the reader any silver lining. A by-product of the careful research that has gone into this excellent narrative is an interesting sketch of the hard lives and times of working girls in the days when the business of America was business.

-- "The New Yorker"

With commendable restraint, Stein uses newspapers, official documents, and the evidence of survivors to unfold a story made more harrowing by the unemotional simplicity of its narration.

-- "Library Journal"

From the Publisher

"Stein suggests that the fire alerted the public to shocking working conditions all over the city and helped the unions organize the clothing industry, but his good taste keeps him from selling the reader any silver lining. A by-product of the careful research that has gone into this excellent narrative is an interesting sketch of the hard lives and times of working girls in the days when the business of America was business."

The New Yorker

"Leon Stein's gripping narrative of the Triangle tragedy is one of the classics of American history. As the grandson of a onetime Triangle seamstress, I salute the reissue of a book that anyone who cares about labor, past or present, should read."

Michael Kazin