In Fighting the Flames, Sally contextualizes, historicizes, and theorizes the spectacular performance of fire at turn-of-the-twentieth century Coney Island. The performance of fire included staged exhibits, such as Fire and Flames and Fighting the Flames, and the real fires that plagued its history. While Coney Island placed fire center stage in its fire-based disaster spectacles, fire has continuously burned its own bridge, destroying the producer who wants to make fire the star of his show. The real conflagrations at Coney Island insert precisely what was missing from these staged performances: ephemerality, unpredictability, and newness of the present that serve as metaphors for not only fire but for the development of the metropolis and the advent of modernity.

Frank Wilders is a bright, shining young star rising to distinguished heroism in the London Fire Brigade. No one is more proud of his accomplishments than his younger brother, Willie. As Frank battles the flames, Willie learns what the heart of a hero is made of. Through daring rescues, valiant hard work, plots of arson, attempted murder and winning the worthy hearts of virtuous young women, the best and worst of mid-19th century London is exposed. "Fighting the Flames: A Tale of the London Fire Brigade" is a masterpiece of fiction; a beautiful tapestry woven of adventure, heroism and the broad spectrum of human nature. R.M. Ballantyne expertly maneuvers his extensive and intricate cast of characters through a series of crossed paths, creating lively interplay between the wide varieties of human personalities and foibles that create the diversity of city life--all in the shadow of the great nightly battle with the flames. R. M. Ballantyne (24 April 1825 – 8 February 1894) was a Scottish juvenile fiction writer. Born Robert Michael Ballantyne in Edinburgh, he was part of a famous family of printers and publishers. At the age of 16 he went to Canada and was six years in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. He returned to Scotland in 1847, and published his first book the following year, Hudson's Bay: or, Life in the Wilds of North America. For some time he was employed by Messrs Constable, the publishers, but in 1856 he gave up business for the profession of literature, and began the series of adventure stories for the young with which his name is popularly associated. (Illustrated)

This colorful SeeMore Reader introduces firefighters and some of the vehicles and tools they use in the line of duty. "The directness and clarity of both text and photos make this a good choice for beginning readers as well as for younger children fascinated by the subject." - Booklist

CHAPTER ONE. HOW THE FIGHT BEGAN. CHAPTER TWO. ANOTHER LITTLE "SPARK." CHAPTER THREE. FIRE!!! CHAPTER FOUR. A FIERCE FIGHT WITH THE FLAMES. CHAPTER FIVE. WILLIE WILLDERS IN DIFFICULTIES. CHAPTER SIX. "WHEN ONE IS ANOTHER WHO IS WHICH?" CHAPTER SEVEN. THOUGHTS IN REGARD TO MEN. CHAPTER EIGHT. A HIDDEN FIRE. CHAPTER NINE. AUCTIONS AND GYMNASTICS. CHAPTER TEN. DIFFICULTIES AND DISSIPATIONS. CHAPTER ELEVEN. WONDERFUL PLANS. CHAPTER TWELVE. A LITTLE DOMESTIC CHIT-CHAT. CHAPTER THIRTEEN. WILD DOINGS AND DARING DEEDS. CHAPTER FOURTEEN. JOE CORNEY'S ADVENTURE WITH GHOSTS. CHAPTER FIFTEEN. A NEW PHASE OF LIFE. CHAPTER SIXTEEN. WILLIE IN A NEW LIGHT. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. HOME LIFE. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. JOE CORNEY'S ADVICE. CHAPTER NINETEEN. DARK PLOTS ARE HATCHED. CHAPTER TWENTY. A LITTLE MORE HATCHING. CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. A SMALL TEA-PARTY. CHAPTER TWENTY TWO. A FIREMAN'S LIFE. CHAPTER TWENTY THREE. MR JAMES AUBERLY. CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR. A CHANGE IN FORTUNE. CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. CHANGES AND MYSTERIES. CHAPTER TWENTY SIX. WHAT DRINK WILL DO. CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN. AN OLD PLOT. CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT. AT THE POST OF DUTY. CHAPTER TWENTY NINE. WILLIE WILLDERS IN DIFFICULTIES. CHAPTER THIRTY. THE BEST-LAID PLANS. CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. NEW LIGHTS OF VARIOUS KINDS. CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. THE FIRE IN TOOLEY STREET. CHAPTER THIRTY THREE. THE LAST.

From colonial times to the modern day, two things have remained constant in American history: the destructive power of fires and the bravery of those who fight them. Fighting Fire! brings to life ten of the deadliest infernos this nation has ever endured: the great fires of Boston, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, and San Francisco, the disasters of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, the General Slocum, and the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, the wildfire of Witch Creek in San Diego County, and the catastrophe of 9/11. Each blaze led to new firefighting techniques and technologies, yet the struggle against fires continues to this day. With historical images and a fast-paced text, this is both an exciting look at firefighting history and a celebration of the human spirit.

Fighting The Flames