Elevator Systems of the Eiffel Tower, 1889

"Elevator Systems of the Eiffel Tower, 1889" by Robert M. Vogel is a non-fiction work exploring the development and installation of the elevators in the Eiffel Tower. Beginning with a look at the early days of passenger elevators, the book highlights the technical problems that engineers had to overcome to design systems suitable for the tower's unique shape and height. Readers journey through the proposals and eventual selection of the Otis hydraulic elevators, which were chosen despite concerns about their complexity. Vogel shares the important details of the Roux, Combaluzier, and Lepape elevators used in the lower sections, demonstrating how these systems collectively revolutionized access to the landmark. The main idea travels around the ways these elevators changed architecture and gave the public access to incredible heights.