By David McCullough
Product Description
First published in 1972, The Great Bridge is the classic account of one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. Winning acclaim for its comprehensive look at the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, this book helped cement David McCullough's reputation as America's preeminent social historian. Now, The Great Bridge is reissued as a Simon & Schuster Classic Edition with a new introduction by the author.
This monumental book brings back for American readers the heroic vision of the America we once had. It is the enthralling story of one of the greatest events in our nation's history during the Age of Optimism -- a period when Americans were convinced in their hearts that all great things were possible. In the years around 1870, when the project was first undertaken, the concept of building a great bridge to span the East River between the great cities of Manhattan and Brooklyn required a vision and determination comparable to that which went into the building of the pyramids. Throughout the fourteen years of its construction, the odds against the successful completion of the bridge seemed staggering. Bodies were crushed and broken, lives lost, political empires fell, and surges of public emotion constantly threatened the project. But this is not merely the saga of an engineering miracle: it is a sweeping narrative of the social climate of the time and of the heroes and rascals who had a hand in either constructing or obstructing the great enterprise. Amid the flood of praise for the book when it was originally published, Newsday said succinctly "This is the definitive book on the event. Do not wait for a better try: there won't be any."
Product Details
*Amazon Sales Rank: #20907 in Books
*Published on: 2001-06-01
*Original language: English
*Number of items: 1
*Binding: Hardcover
*608 pages
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review In the 19th century, the Brooklyn Bridge was viewed as the greatest engineering feat of mankind. The Roeblings--father and son--toiled for decades, fighting competitors, corrupt politicians, and the laws of nature to fabricate a bridge which, after 100 years, still provides one of the major avenues of access to one of the world's busiest cities--as compared to many bridges built at the same time which collapsed within decades or even years. It is refreshing to read such a magnificent story of real architecture and engineering in an era where these words refer to tiny bits and bytes that inspire awe only in their abstract consequences, and not in their tangible physical magnificence.
FromPublishersWeekly This outstanding audio adaptation brings to life the Herculean struggles behind the creation of one of this country's most recognizable and enduring landmarks. Herrmann's rich, expressive voice perfectly complements McCullough's stately language, and the combination of their talents—coupled with the impressiveness of the engineering marvel that is the Brooklyn Bridge—makes this a compulsive listen. Subtle changes in Herrmann's tone clearly set off quotations without interrupting the flow, and though this audiobook is abridged, the deleted segments are briefly summarized by an unobtrusive second narrator so that listeners never feel as if they're missing part of the story. While there are some descriptions of the 13-year construction process that would have benefited from illustrations, the production as a whole is superb. Listeners cannot help being moved by the grandeur of the structure and by the spectacular risks taken by the men who worked on it, particularly chief engineer Washington Roebling, who remained the driving force behind the bridge despite being crippled by the bends and bedridden for many years. Drama of every kind can be found here: political scandals, intense rivalries, extreme loyalty, a charming love story, heroism, spectacular near-disasters, death, illness and war. Once called the eighth wonder of the world, the Brooklyn Bridge still inspires artists and photographers, tourists and natives alike, and it is the only stone-towered, steel-cabled bridge in the world. In this excellent production, listeners will be inspired anew. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review Christopher Lehman-Haupt The New York Times After reading David McCullough's account, you will never look at the old bridge in quite the same way again. -- Review Customer Reviews The Great Bridge is a Great Book The Great Bridge is highly interesting, excellently written, and easy to read story of the engineers, politicians, and workers who willingly sacrificed their health and well-being to design and construct the Brooklyn Bridge as an American Icon. At the time the bridge was built, the danger associated with those who worked inside the pressurized foundation caissons caused an unreconized, debilitating health hazard they called "bends" (because those who experienced the bends walked around bent over.) The effects of the bends on key people and the unscrupolist politicians of New York and Brooklyn have a strong influence on how the bridge evolves over the 14 years it took to build the bridge. In all respects, The Great Bridge, which opened in 1883, is a Great Book
A Monumental Work
"The Great Bridge" takes the reader back to a time when the tallest things in the New York City area were the church steeples. When the stone towers of the Brooklyn Bridge were erected they joined a relatively uncluttered skyline. It's hard to imagine such a time. In "The Great Bridge" Mr. McCullough takes a comprehensive look at what it took to get the iconic Brooklyn Bridge built back in the Gilded Age. The book also provides an interesting look at the culture of New York in the late 1860s and into the 1880s. More than anything "The Great Bridge" is a biography of the Roebling family members that designed and supervised the building of the bridge. Along the way the reader meets a chief engineer who is caught up in the spiritualism of the day and uses séances to converse with his deceased wife. The reader meets the engineer who is charged with completing the bridge his father started and is only able to complete his mission because of the brilliance and tact of his wife. And the reader gets a great picture of Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall gang who see the bridge as a potential money machine. My only negative criticism of the book is that the level of engineering detail becomes tedious at times. If you want to read a good book that illustrates the Gilded Age and shows the power of dedication this is one of the best I have read.
A classic and extraordinary saga
This is a sublime account of the Brooklyn Bridge told so skillfully it delivers a vital profile of an entire epoch. Celebrated as the "eighth wonder of the world" on opening in May 1883, the fourteen-year construction project surmounted remarkable challenges of technology, scale and complexity, as well as man-made burdens of incendiary journalism, political pandering, and licentious corruption. Heroes (John A. Roebling, Colonel Washington Roebling, Emily Warren Roebling) and villains (William Marcy Tweed, Abram Hewitt, J. Lloyd Haigh) are fully explored in a colorful account worthy of the best non-fiction. Contemporary rival projects like the St. Louis bridge by Captain James B. Eads allow appreciation of the Roeblings' accomplishment in an era when caisson disease (the `bends') was poorly understood and bridge collapses common (forty per year - one in four - in the 1870s). The Brooklyn Bridge remains a beloved symbol after 125 years of use. McCullough's account is an equally enduring classic.
http://astore.amazon.com/civilengineeringtextbooks-20/detail/0743217373
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