Book excerpt: An all-inclusive panorama of the many achievements of Gustave Eiffel, one of the 19th century's most remarkable architects Gustave Eiffel was the man behind the landmark that became the symbol par excellence of Paris, and so the dominant image of France around the world. However, the work of Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) is not limited to the tower that bears his name. From 1856, when he was commissioned to design a railway bridge in Bordeaux (his first large-scale metal construction), he imposed his style all around the world. The bridge across the Douro in Portugal, the Garabit viaduct, the church in Manila, the Manaus Municipal Market in Brazil, and even the framework of the Statue of Liberty are just some of his more than 300 masterpieces. Then, disaster struck in 1892, when a report directly linked him to the Panama scandal that had come to light three years before. This was the start of a nightmare that would ultimately turn out to be completely unjustified. Deeply wounded, Eiffel withdrew, cloaking himself in his pride. His eldest daughter stuck by him, not only offering support, but also building up a remarkable collection of memorabilia and documents, a precious legacy which she left to her nephew Philippe Couperie-Eiffel. For the first time, to mark the 90th anniversary of his famous ancestor's death, Couperie-Eiffel has updated this treasure trove and offers us the chance to get to know the great architect and family man through a wide range of previously unpublished archives. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal, whose lock gates Eiffel designed and patented.