David McCullough
Hardcover | Pages: 608 pages Rating: 4.23 | 12547 Users | 1327 Reviews
Describe Based On Books The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
| Title | : | The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge |
| Author | : | David McCullough |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 608 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 2001 by Simon & Schuster (first published January 1st 1972) |
| Categories | : | History. Nonfiction. North American Hi.... American History. New York. Biography |
Rendition In Favor Of Books The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
Published on the fortieth anniversary of its initial publication, this edition of the classic book contains a new Preface by David McCullough, “one of our most gifted living writers” (The Washington Post).Built to join the rapidly expanding cities of New York and Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Bridge was thought by many at the start to be an impossibility destined to fail if not from insurmountable technical problems then from political corruption. (It was the heyday of Boss Tweed in New York.)
But the Brooklyn Bridge was at once the greatest engineering triumph of the age, a surpassing work of art, a proud American icon, and a story like no other in our history. Courage, chicanery, unprecedented ingenuity and plain blundering, heroes, rascals, all the best and worst in human nature played a part. At the center of the drama were the stricken chief engineer, Washington Roebling and his remarkable wife, Emily Warren Roebling, neither of whom ever gave up in the face of one heartbreaking setback after another.
The Great Bridge is a sweeping narrative of a stupendous American achievement that rose up out of its era like a cathedral, a symbol of affirmation then and still in our time.
Be Specific About Books Toward The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
| Original Title: | The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge |
| ISBN: | 0743217373 (ISBN13: 9780743217378) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Based On Books The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
Ratings: 4.23 From 12547 Users | 1327 ReviewsWeigh Up Based On Books The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
For anyone not familiar with the great struggles involved in these terrific public works projects, this is a real eye-opener. This book is very THOROUGH. I was amazed by 3 things:1. The brilliant engineering ingenuity and hard-fought struggle to implement.2. The totally horrible corruption surrounding politics of that day. Makes me feel like our day is not necessarily the worst.3. How totally captivated the general public was by the spectacle of its construction. Nowadays things are being builtI first became interested in the story behind the design and building of the Brooklyn Bridge a few years ago when I watched the TV documentary 'New York' by Ric Burns. In one of the episodes it focused on this land-and-river-mark - on its novelty, its innovations and the human tragedy that it also brought about.Around that time also I read, and was fascinated by, David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas. I have therefore wanted to read this book for several years.I have to acknowledge,
I apparently liked this book more than I originally thought I had (see below). There is an awful lot of detail in this book, maybe too much. I now know way more about caissons, the bends and different types of steel than I ever thought I would ever know or ever needed to know. I do understand why all the information was included, but it was a slog to get through it all. I also have a better understanding of the Tammany Hall scandal. The political scandals of that era were amazingly blatant. The
The Great Bridge was David McCulloughs second. It is throughly researched, and is not only a history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, but also the politics that enabled and hindered that accomplishment and a history of the times. What makes this history very readable, though, are the personal stories revealed. John Augustus Roebling, the architect, Washington Roebling, son and chief engineer, and Emily Roebling, wife of Washington and true partner to both Washington and the project, are
When I picked up this book, I was daring McCullough to get me to read the whole thing. How could a 562 page book about a bridge -- not to meantion an antiquated bridge, not the modern technological wonders of today -- keep me going that long, I thought? Yet I had heard reviews...I had to find out what they were talking about. I finished the book in two weeks, and as it turns out, it's not just a book about a bridge (that really would be boring), it's a book about the people and events in one of
There were definitely interesting bits and even some humor. It was very detailed. So much detail. Lost me during big stretches of politics and accounting. Perhaps it's just spring fever but it was so hard to stay with this one. I learned a lot but I'm so glad it's over.
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