Customer Reviews

Creation of Bridges

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is exactly the type of book I was looking for. It's got beautiful four-fold pictures of completed bridges and those still in the construction phase; histories of the most popular bridges and bridge designers; and, my favorite part, a section on the technical aspects of how bridges are made.

It's a great combination of picture book and technical reference for all those interested in bridges.

How many types of bridges can you name? Yeah, yeah...suspension, truss, maybe bascule...but, guess what? There are many more types out there! Different types will give you different costs, sturdiness, aesthetics--you get the idea.

This book begins by explaining the basis types of structures. Then it describes some of the world's greatest spans, and next it talks about bridge catastrophes. Finally it discusses great bridge builders.

Meanwhile, the book is profusely illustrated with incredible photos, mostly color, some even in gatefold format. Sometimes you can even see before & after photos of bridge construction.

As a modelmaker fascinated with large truss bridges and cable bridges, I had been looking for a good book on the topic -- one which would reveal enough structural detail for me to make a reasonable model for N-scale model train modules and layouts. At the same time, I wanted a book that would show the "famous ones" while also showing new, state-of-the-art megabridges from all over the world. This book does all of that, while giving great coverage of the history of bridges and while showing historical classics. The only thing it didn't do was to provide specific measurements, but the pics and scope of visual data make that needless for most people, anyway. I've looked at others since then to see whether there's a better one out there for my purposes, but I haven't found one.

Encouraged by other customers' reviews, as well as my interest in learning more about bridges, I purchased this attractive volume. The price seemed awfully low for a work with such promise and, indeed, the photographs alone are worth more than I paid. But, having gotten through a scant 30 pages in which I encountered some errors easily checked [Xerxes was defeated at Thermopylae? The Etruscans were the forebears of the Greeks? The Brooklyn Bridge was in place in 1858?] I am left to wonder what else is hidden which I didn't spot. Who knows what may lurk in the engineering details of specific bridges and bridge types?