By the time he died in 1912, Daniel H. Burnham was one of the most famous architects in America as well as an internationally renowned city planner. A contemporary of Louis Sullivan and his student, Frank Lloyd Wright, Burnham has often been characterized as a betrayer of the Chicago school of architecture that Sullivan and Wright were instrumental in defining. Thomas Hines's book gives long-due emphasis to the artistry of Burnham and places his accomplishments in a new perspective.

"Professor Hines has written what may prove to be an epoch-making book in the study of American civilization."—Reyner Banham, Times Literary Supplement

"Indeed, the book as a whole is a model of the balanced portrait, sure of Burnham's importance but always conscious of his failings."—Paul Goldberger, New York Times Book Review

"In every sense this is the definitive biography, and it is long overdue."—Harry Weese, Chicago Tribune

"This is a many-faceted book. Even if one were not interested in architecture or city planning, nor especially in Burnham the man, one would likely find the book rewarding because of the window it provides on a significant period of American history. . . . Hines brings alive many of the forces that were beating upon Burnham and his contemporaries, and which are shaping our lives today."—Edmund M. Bacon, Architectural Record

"Hines has provided an intelligently organized, well-written, and fascinating account of Burnham's entire career. The analysis [is] a model of scholarship, good judgment, and literary grace that satisfies a long felt need."—Kenneth T. Jackson, American Historical Review