Share <Embed>

Buy New

$12.76

List Price: $20.00
Save: $7.24 (36%)

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

This item ships to France. Want it Friday, April 6? Order within and choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

Select delivery location

Buy Used

$10.75

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Select delivery location

Used: Acceptable | Details

Sold by FYHO

Fulfilled by Amazon

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Add to Cart

$8.49
+ $5.34 shipping

Sold by: mickey's new & used CD's

Add to Cart

$10.00
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: the_book_lady

Add to Cart

$12.99
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: Red Fox Book Shop

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge Paperback – January 12, 1983

by David McCullough (Author)

819 customer reviews

See all 28 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$16.01

—

Hardcover, Special Edition

"Please retry"

$20.30

$19.29

$5.18

Paperback

"Please retry"

$12.76

$8.49

$2.00

Audible, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Audio CD, Abridged, Audiobook, CD

"Please retry"

$34.26

$25.34

$14.28

Unknown Binding

"Please retry"

—

$67.13

$35.49

There is a newer edition of this item:

The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
$20.30
(819)
In Stock.

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.

Frequently bought together

Total price: $31.24

Buy the selected items together

This item:The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough Paperback $12.76
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough Paperback $12.55
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough Paperback $5.93
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

David McCullough

1,924

Paperback
$12.55
David McCullough

886

in Groundwater & Flood Control
Paperback
$5.93
David McCullough

575

Paperback
$11.29
David McCullough

434

Paperback
$9.98
David McCullough

1,678

Paperback
$13.07
David McCullough

5,372

Paperback
$12.40

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

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.

Paperback: 636 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (January 12, 1983)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 067145711X
ISBN-13: 978-0671457112
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 819 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Engineering > Civil & Environmental > Bridges
- #24 in Books > Science & Math > Technology > History of Technology
- #166 in Books > History > Americas > United States > State & Local

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Customer Reviews

Write a customer review

See all 819 customer reviews

Rated by customers interested in

What's this?

History Books

4.6 out of 5 stars

Sunglasses

4.0 out of 5 stars

Engineering & Transportation Books

4.6 out of 5 stars

Is this feature helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Trainman95630

Good book on the construction of a NYC icon

September 16, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I mostly enjoyed this book, especially the first quarter and the last quarter. It is meticulously researched and as always, McCullough does a great job putting you in to the time period he is documenting.

In this case McCullough takes us back to 19th century New York City, comparing and contrasting Manhattan and Brooklyn. He explains the initial impetus for a bridge over the East River to connect the 2 cities, how it would affect the lifestyles and economies of both cities.

The book is covering an exciting time in America when large engineering projects were being accomplished which would lay an infrastructure which made the 20th century economy possible. He covers other bridge builders and their projects notably the Eads bridge over the Mississippi.

As a lot of people know the Roebling family sacrifices made the Brooklyn bridge possible. Mccullough
covers the life of German born Joeseph Roebling an educated engineer who emigrated to Pennsylvania and founded a community of Germans. After about a decade however Roebling went back into engineering and began a series of high profile suspension bridges, notably Roebling bridge in Cincinnati and a railroad bridge over the Niagara river.

When Roebling began work on the Brooklyn bridge his son was his main assistant – Washington Roebling. Unfortunately after his foot was injured in an on the job accident, Joeseph Roebling contracted gangrene and died. His son had to take over as the main engineer for the bridge and he accomplished it by using caissons to sink the foundation of the towers. At that time the medical issues associated with working in pressures greater than one atmosphere were not well understood. Washington Roebling basically sacrificed his life due to his becoming chronically ill from having worked in the caissons and suffering the bends repeatedly. He was bedridden for years, but still managed to manage the project from his home in Brooklyn.

There were some drawbacks to this book, mostly in the middle parts of it. I don't think that the book did a great job of describing the “how to” part of building the bridge. I had seen a special on the history channel on building the bridge. Without that I don't think the book would have made clear what was involved in the caissons and “spinning the wire” . Also the book gets a little bogged down in the politics behind building the bridge, the graft and corruption involved.

Overall though this was a good book to help you understand what went into building a great American landmark.

Comment 11 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Amazon Customer

Like others have stated

January 17, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Do not buy the Kindle edition! Like others have stated, this book has lengthy, detailed descriptions that are hard to follow even by those with engineering experience. I believe the paper version has diagrams that may bump this book up to a 4-star rating for me. This was my first time reading a David McCullough book, and I appreciated the history of the bridge's construction which was clearly thoroughly researched. I could have done with a little less about the political and social history that was only loosely related to the building of the bridge. Those long, droning chapters could have easily been condensed and made the book much more focused and easier to get through. Overall, an OK read.

Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Jack Sparacino

Monument To A Monument

June 5, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Having just read McCullough's far breezier "The Wright Brothers" and being at a year's distance from his wonderful book about John Adams, I had to make a few adjustments in my head to get into the rhythm and level of detail contained in "The Great Bridge." I often wonder how Mr. McCullough has the wherewithal to track down the seemingly endless details about his subject matter and then turn everything into a compelling story. Whatever his process, he succeeds magnificently in writing about the Brooklyn Bridge. Every politician, crook (is that redundant?), engineer, onlooker and more are woven together into a tale almost as expansive and astounding as the physical bridge itself. They didn't have electronic design tools back then but oh how people like John Roebling and his son Washington and Washington's wife Emily (come to think of it, were there any like them?) could envision a massive structure that would not only change the flow of commerce forever but create a lasting piece of mega-art. McCullough is a national treasure on a par with any of the grand subjects he trains his attention on. My only criticism is that given all the technical details provided, the reader would be better served by a fuller set of drawings of the bridge and its major components. A little too much is left to the reader to try to visualize. That said, the photos are wonderful and if one has the time to devote to absorbing as opposed to merely reading this book, it will pay off for a lifetime. As an aside, the last chapter ("The People's Day") and the epilogue are stunning, well worth on their own the price of the book and investment of the reader's time.

Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Aunt Rosie

The Bridge built to last 300 years.

May 12, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I absolutely liked this book. Took me two years to read it. I have it on my Kindle. I could underline what was interesting and look up words. Look people up. Totally fantastic. One of my favorite books. I even went to the library and checked out the hard copy to see the pictures. Lot's of footnotes. You won't regret reading this book. I put book down a few times to read other books. I even checked books about the Roblings, Boss Tweed, and then some including the Presidents when the bridge was built. or other political figures back then. I figured my great great grandfather John probably worked on the bridge at one time or other. My family is from NYC. I have walked over this bridge.

Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Customer images

See all customer images

Most recent customer reviews

TOP CAT

Five Stars

Love everything by this author.

Published 8 days ago

Grandpa

An early David McCullough book not quite as wonderful as his later writing.

Good story. Unless you are into bridge building, the details are a bit daunting.

Published 9 days ago

MRC

Four Stars

A good insight into the building of the bridge but granular in detail at times

Published 11 days ago

lynda

Too much political history

This book, in my opinion, focuses too much on the politics involved and not about the actual people involved with the actual design and construction of the bridge.Read more

Published 16 days ago

helenO

Five Stars

terrific book about the engineering, building, politics, and personal history of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

Published 1 month ago

RWM

Amazing for the times...

I am retired and worked in the structurally engineering field for 95% of my work life and found this book "The Great Bridge" very interesting.Read more

Published 1 month ago

Mimi

I read "The Great Bridge" by David McCullough for a book club

I read "The Great Bridge" by David McCullough for a book club. I thought it would be interesting and indeed some parts of this overly long book was interesting, but much...Read more

Published 1 month ago

Falcon

What a great book! David McCullough is one of the great ...

Wow! What a great book! David McCullough is one of the great authors and this book is well researched and well written.Read more

Published 1 month ago

patrick f. nolan

Five Stars

Excellent.

Published 1 month ago

Avid reader

Another McCollough winner

His books seem to be always a wonderful and pleasant read. They capture the time and the people very well.Read more

Published 1 month ago

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

David McCullough

1,924

Paperback
$12.55
David McCullough

886

in Groundwater & Flood Control
Paperback
$5.93
David McCullough

575

Paperback
$11.29
David McCullough

5,372

Hardcover
$9.70
David McCullough

434

Paperback
$9.98
David McCullough

864

Paperback
$13.88

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: central park new york, construction industry, epic book, new york brooklyn, new york city parks, architectural history

Buy New

$12.76

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Buy Used

$10.75

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Other Sellers on Amazon

The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge Paperback – January 12, 1983

There is a newer edition of this item:

Frequently bought together

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customers who bought this item also bought

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Product details

David McCullough's Triumphant Trilogy

David McCullough Wishes He Had This Talent

America's Eiffel Tower

David McCullough's Triumphant Trilogy

David McCullough Wishes He Had This Talent

America's Eiffel Tower

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Customer images

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy New $12.76

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Buy Used $10.75

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Other Sellers on Amazon

The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge Paperback – January 12, 1983

There is a newer edition of this item:

Frequently bought together

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customers who bought this item also bought

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Product details

Related Video Shorts

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Customer images

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy New

$12.76

Buy Used

$10.75