The Capitol cover art

The Capitol

The Surprising Biography of an American Building

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The Capitol

By: Brian Jay Jones
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About this listen

An in-depth exploration of the design and construction of the US Capitol building, from New York Times bestselling author of Jim Henson and Becoming Dr. Seuss

The Capitol is a unique biography of a place, encompassing architecture, history, politics, popular culture, and race in a fascinating exploration of our Capitol's secret history; a history rife with political intrigue, assassination attempts, thwarted bombings, and gunmen on the run.

Spanning across three centuries of American history, it focuses on iconic and easily recognizable names and personalities from the past—from George Washington to Fiorello LaGuardia—as well as countless colorful characters readers may not have heard of before, with a focus on restoring the stories of enslaved people. As The Capitol will make clear, even as the building itself was slowly rising from the swamps of Washington, DC, the conflicts were just getting started.

The story of the Capitol is the story of America itself, and, for the first time, that story will be told in this sweeping, aspirational biography of the building at the very heart of the American experiment.

©2026 Brian Jay Jones (P)2026 Penguin Audio
Americas Architecture Politics & Government United States World
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