As the novel opens, Indy's father announces they are leaving
their Utah home to attend the inauguration of the south wing
of the
Metropolitan Museum in
New York.
The curator has invited them due to Henry, Sr.'s
contributions of medieval art to the museum's collection.
Indy doesn't want to go to New York and actually seems to be
looking forward to returning to school, having already had a
hectic summer of facing an evil gemstone and escaping the
bubonic plague in Egypt, and rescuing Princess Tamar from the
clutches of multiple enemies in the country of Georgia. This
refers to the events of
Tomb of Terror and
Princess of Peril.
Unmentioned is that he also had an adventure in Tibet in
The Child Lama and,
before all that, a busy spring, being in the Far North in
The Sacred Meteorite,
Arizona in "The
Mountains of Superstition", and South Carolina in
The Plantation
Treasure.
Henry, Sr. plans to study a 10th Century manuscript at the
Pierpont Morgan Library while he is in New
York. The
Pierpont Morgan Library is now known as the
Morgan
Library & Museum. "Pierpont Morgan" refers to John
Pierpont "Jack" Morgan Jr. (1867-1943), an American
financier and philanthropist who founded the library in his
father's name as a public research library and endowed a
collection of rare books and manuscripts to it...but it was
not until 1924, 11 years after this novel takes place! The
library existed as a private library for the Morgan family
before then and was not officially known as the Pierpont
Morgan Library.
Henry, Sr. remarks that the financier Mr. Morgan is an
exceptional man who knows how to preserve some of the
greatest treasures of this world, "Nothing to do with those
Wall Street sharks!"
Wall Street is a street in New York City housing the city's
main financial district and is generally considered to be the
financial capital of the world.
On page 7, Indy muses that his father was critical of the
Bolsheviks in Russia and the capitalists in
the U.S. The
Bolsheviks were a radical Marxist faction of the Russian
Social Democratic Labour Party. The Bolsheviks would go on
to become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the
October Revolution of 1917. Presumably, Indy is referring to
things his father said about the Bolsheviks when the two of
them were in Russia earlier that summer in
Princess of Peril,
but, if so, those remarks were not recorded for the reader
in that book.
Indy's father predicts that the Wall Street sharks will fall
victim to a crash one day not so far away. This is the
author placing a foreshadowing of the Wall Street Crash of
1929 that led to the Great Depression that lasted through
most of the 1930s.
Chapter 2: Best Friends in the World
Page 11 states that Herman had just gotten over a case of
the measles. He was said to have had measles in
Princess
of Peril.
Page 12 states that Hermie's classmates had nicknamed him
Bouboule. This is French slang for a fat person, essentially
"fatty". This was also mentioned in
The Phantom of the Klondike,
written by the same author.
On page 14, Indy asks Herman if he's ever seen the
Statue of
Liberty.
Page 15 states that Herman's eyes are hidden behind filthy
glasses. But the illustration on page 13 depicts him without
glasses! And the boy was not seen to wear glasses in his
first appearance in "The
Cross of Coronado". The author,
Jèrôme Jacobs, was clearly paralleling Herman and
Indy's conversation here with Indy's earlier argument with
his father in Chapter 1, and it seems Jacobs got a little
carried away with it, making eyeglasses part of Herman's
accoutrements.
On page 17, Indy attributes a quote similar to "You shall
not abuse your authority over others," to Confucius, but his
father implies it was said by Napoleon.
Confucius (551-479 BCE) was a Chinese philosopher, now
widely considered to be one of the most influential
individuals in history.
"Napoleon"
refers to Napoleon
Bonaparte (1769-1821)
who became the high general, First Consul, and Emperor of
France from 1799-1814 after a military coup. As far as I
can find, neither individual said anything quite like this
statement.
Chapter 3: "Cover That Breast..."
On page 18, the Jones' and Herman
arrive at their modest New York hotel on 36th Street near
the Pierpont Morgan Library. Indeed, the
Pierpont Morgan Library lies on Madison Avenue between 36th
and 37th streets.
The New York temperature is said to be 35° C (95 F) in the
shade when the Jones party arrives with their clothing
sticking to their skin, like survivors of the Sahara. The
Sahara is a desert in northern Africa, the largest hot
desert in the world (only the frozen deserts of Antarctica
and the Arctic being larger).
Page 19 states that the small room off of Professor Jones'
hotel room in which was set two camp beds for Indy and
Herman left not enough room between the beds to do the java.
This is a reference to the French waltz dance called java
which was designed to be performed in a relatively small
space with the dancers holding each other closely.
On page 19, Indy sees that his father is back to his old
self and whispers to Herman, "Chase the natural, he's
galloping back." This is a French colloquialism that means
that one's character does not really change.
Henry, Sr. remarks that he can't wait for
Grand Central Terminal to be completed.
However, the terminal was essentially complete and open
already as of February 1913 (this story takes place in
September of that year)!
Grand Central Terminal is
now a railroad terminal in Manhattan, popularly known as one
of the busiest commuter stations in the world.
The Jones party also
visits the Armory Show (a.k.a. the International Exhibition
of Modern Art). This was a real world art exhibition housed
at the 69th Regiment Armory, but it was open February 17 -
March 15, 1913...again months before the events of this
story! It seems as if the author originally planned for this story
to take place at the beginning of that year, but he (or the
publisher) changed it. The book's early description that New
York was 95° F when the Jones' arrive
does suggest summer weather instead of the winter that the
terminal opening and art show took place.
At the Armory Show, Henry, Sr. sees several works of art
that do not particularly appeal to him: a sculpture of an
iron, a painting of small squares of color, and the cubist
painting Nude Descending a Staircase by a Marcel
Duchamp. Nude Descending a Staircase is an actual
painting by the French artist Duchamp (1887-1968) which was
a part of the Armory exhibition. I don't know what the
sculpture of an iron is, but the painting of small squares
of color may be the color study Squares with Concentric
Circles by the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky
(1866-1944), which painting actually was also a part of the
Armory exhibition. |
 |
 |
Nude Descending a Staircase |
Squares with Concentric Circles |
Chapter 4: A Retro Metro
Page 29 states that the Manhattan subway line was put into
service in 1904 and quickly became comparable to Paris'
subway established nine years earlier. The 1904 date for the
Manhattan subway is correct, but the Paris subway was
established about 5 years earlier (not nine), in 1900.
On page 30, Henry, Sr. says that New York's
Central Park was constructed between 1857-1870. It was
actually 1857-1876. He also talks about the ancient obelisk
that was erected there, originally raised in Heliopolis in
1500 BCE by pharaoh Thutmosis III and donated to the city of
New York by Khedive Ismail Pasha in 1877. This is all
basically true, though historians say it was originally
raised in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis in 1475 BCE. The
obelisk is popularly known as Cleopatra's Needle, having
been moved to a temple built by Cleopatra during her reign
of Egypt, the Caesarian in Alexandria in 12 BCE.
On pages 30-31, both Indy and Herman are astounded that
Henry, Sr. has just referred to his son as "Indy" instead of
"Junior." But, Indy's father has used that name with him on
occasion in the past, even a few times previously in this
very novel!
Edwards warns Henry, Sr. not to mention
Nude Descending a Staircase
to the mayor because he's already furious about not being
consulted about the exhibition of the painting. The mayor of
New York at this time was either William Jay Gaynor, who
died in office, or his replacement, the acting mayor Ardolph
L. Kline, who served in the role from September 10, 1913 –
December 31, 1913. I have not been able to determine if
Mayor Gaynor (who was the mayor when the real world Armory
Show was open in February-March) had any opinion at all
about the painting.
On page 34, a Mozart sonata is said to be playing during the
museum wing opening. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
was, of course, a music composer during the Classical
period.
Chapter 5: Panic in Central Park
The violin that is stolen from the Metropolitan Museum is a
Stradivarius. The
Stradivari family of Italy made hundreds of string
instruments by hand in the 17th and 18th centuries and all
surviving specimens are immensely valuable collectibles.
Page 42 refers to Central Park as the green lung of New
York. "The Green Lung" is an actual nickname of the park.
Chapter 6: I Can't Lie
The thief and his hostage, Herman, take the subway to Little
Italy. There are several neighborhoods known as Little Italy
in greater New York City.
Chapter 7: The "Highest" Price
The younger of the two Italian thugs who follow Indy and his
father in their quest to save Herman turns out to be a
14-year old
Al Capone. Al "Scarface" Capone (1899-1947) was an
Italian-American gangster during the Prohibition era of the
United States.
Chapter 8: Madre Padrone
Indy's description of padrones as unsavory types
who arrange jobs and housing for poor immigrants is
accurate.
The footnote on page 64 about Ellis Island is correct.
Ellis Island was
a famous gateway to the United States for millions of
immigrants from 1892-1954.
Chapter 9: Scout's Word
Vitelli has hidden his son from the Mafia in the city of
Niagara Falls.
Edwards loans the Jones party his Isotta Fraschini car.
Isotta Fraschini was an Italian luxury automaker from
1900-1999.
On
page 75, Edwards tells Henry, Sr. that the automobile handbrake
was invented by the
Isotta Fraschini factory the previous year. I've not been
able to confirm if this is true.
Chapter 10: Hunger Strike
Page 79 states that the car horn was not invented until
1914, but my sources say otherwise. It was invented in 1908.
On page 79, the cattle breeder shouts, "Name of a pig!" in
French and, on page 80, "Name of a little man!". These are
yet other, more polite, ways of saying, "In God's name!" in
French (as seen in previous studies of the French Young
Indy novels).
Chapter 11: Memories, Memories...
Page 87 states that Indy is wearing his Stetson hat. Since
he gave his original Stetson to
Dentsen in The Child Lama,
this must be a new one.
On page 87, Indy sees two lovebirds cooing at each other in
a hotel diner and it causes him to reflect on his two past
crushes, Norma Bellini in
Phantom of the
Klondike and Lizzie Ravenall in
The Plantation
Treasure. But he also had Princess Sophie in
"The Perils of Cupid"
and
Manuminiaq in The Sacred
Meteorite.
Chapter 12:
The Thunder of Water and Divine Grace
On page 94, Vitelli's cousin is found to live at No. 7
Downpour Street in the city of Niagara Falls. As far as I
can tell,
Downpour Street is a fictitious road.
Page 95 states that Indy first met Norma in July 1912 (in
the aforementioned
Phantom of the
Klondike). And that is the date given in
that book, opening immediately after the events of
"The
Cross of Coronado".
However, the PopApostle study of that book instead accepts
the August 1912 date for
"The
Cross of Coronado", as given in
The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones, allowing another
month of time to have passed since the death of
Mrs. Jones and Indy and his father's move to Utah, so that they
are more settled in in Moab and Indy is entrenched in the local
Boy Scout troop.
On page 97, Norma tells Indy that after he left the
Klondike, she spent some months living with her cousin
Adam's family. This is
Adam Chinook, whom we met in
Phantom of the
Klondike.
The legend of the Indian of the Native American girl who
drowned under the Niagara Falls and whose spirit is
supposedly seen at times in the hidden caves behind the
falls, as told by Enzo on page 97, is roughly accurate. It
is popularly known as the legend of the Maid of the Mist.
On page 98, Henry, Sr.'s brief lecture on the historic
Iroquois inhabitants of the Niagara area and the coming of
French navigator Jacques Cartier (1491-1557) in 1535 is
correct. His statement that "Niagara" is an Indian term
meaning "water thunder" is one of many theories as to how
the falls got its name.
Chapter 13:
The Strategist's Ploy
On page 109, Indy recalls how he had come to think of Norma as a pasionaria.
This occurred in
Phantom of the
Klondike. It is an Italian word for which there is no direct
translation, but it means a woman who passionately stands by
her own values and ideals.
Chapter 14:
The Harder the Fall
On page 113, Henry, Sr.'s statement of the length of the
Niagara River is roughly accurate, but his statement of the
height of the falls is almost twice the actual height.
Also on page 113, Indy accuses his father of being a walking
Baedeker guide.
Baedeker
guides are travel books for countries all around the world
that have been published since the 1830s.
Chapter 15: A Funny Hiding Place
On page 121, Indy makes a promise to Arturo not to reveal
Arturo's possession of the violin or where he keeps it,
saying, "wooden cross, iron cross, if I lie I'll go to
hell." This is a French oath for making a promise, similar
to "cross my heart and hope to die" in the English world.
Chapter 16: The Crazy People Behind the Wheel
On page 133, Enzo is driving the Model T and Indy tells him
they are entering Madison Square and to turn onto Broadway.
Madison Square is the intersection of 5th
Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in Manhattan, named for
the fourth president of the U.S., James Madison.
The street directions through various New York neighborhoods
Indy gives to Enzo as they flee in their vehicle from the
Mafia pursuers is more-or-less accurate to the actual layout
of the city and its named streets.
Page 135 describes New York as the world's largest city. But
it did not achieve this status until 1925. In 1913, the
world's largest city was
London, England.
Chapter 17: Fiddler on the Roof
Page 137 describes the
Woolworth Building as being the world's tallest when it
was completed. This is true. It held the record from 1913-1930,
when it was supplanted by
40 Wall Street (now known, God help me, as the Trump
Building).
On page 138, Norma remarks they may be facing their destiny
like Madame Boutterfly in Pouccini's opera. This is a
reference to the Italian opera Madame Butterfly by
Giacomo Puccini.
On page 141, Norma comments on the clarity of the air at the
top of the Woolworth Building, saying it's like that at the
top of Everest. Mount Everest is the world's tallest
mountain above water, located in the Himalayan Mountain
range of Nepal.
Chapter 18: The End of the World
On page 147, when Capone tells Indy that the violin holds a
secret, Indy responds, "It's perfectly normal. So don't
try to make bladders look like lanterns..." The phrase
"make bladders look like lanterns" is
a French idiom that means "don't try to claim something is
fancy when it's not", similar to the English idiom "make a
purse out of a sow's ear."
Indy will meet Capone again in
"Mystery of the Blues",
but doesn't seem to remember these earlier confrontations
with him!
Epilogue
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