So often we don't even realize what we're driving on

books:


	• Bridges: A History of the World's Most Famous and Important Spans Judith Dupre Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 1997 - 128 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

So often we don't even realize what we're driving on

Every day we traverse bridges in our daily lives, scarcely to give them thought. Dupre pulls back the veil and brings highlight to these engineering feats. From the simple to the revolutionary, we are brought on a tour of bridges through time, and around the globe. The superlatives are here: the longest suspension bridge, highest, oldest. But it's not a book about the superlative; it's about what moves us forward in our quest for technology, and for our ability to move across space in a timely manner. It highlights those bridges that mean something to us: where the Romans said "let's make a permanent way of moving water." Where politics came into play and tried to prevent bridges that we can't imagine not being there like the Golden Gate Bridge. Bridges become important to history such as the ones over the Rhine during the World War. And sometimes when we make mistakes and things don't work out like we planned - the most spectacular example being the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that lasted all of 4 months.

But as she shows in her book "Skyscrapers," there is an intertwining of form and function, and where man built up in buildings, he builds out via bridges. The book's design even emphasizes - where Skyscrapers was an extremely tall and thin book, Bridges goes for width, to try and bring the spans into the range of the printed page. Yet so often, the task is not possible, and even on the wide pages the bridge disappears into the distance.

The book looks at the engineering involved, but does not dwell on it. Rather it celebrates how the improvement of engineering practices have been able to move man forward. A veritable love poem to something that we often take too much for granted.

for more information click here

A bridge lover

I was a little disappointed in this book in that it really doesn't get into much detail about any of the bridges which are discussed. It's more of a "coffe table" book without out much informative depth. Nothing to really sink your teeth into. However, if you're not already familiar with any of the bridges covered in the book, or you're not a nut for bridges, then this book is a great introduction to a few of the most beautiful bridges to be seen. One neat thing that I did really like is that it is a very wide book which allows you a little better perspective of the true size of some of the bridges - you get long pictures instead of little ones of each bridge. That was kind of cool! My 5 yr old son loves "reading" this book to me!

for more information click here

for more information click here

Magical books

I had a copy of this book in 2000 and lent it to a friend, but could not remember who. I found it when visiting the USA for the first time. It is simply the most magical and beautiful book in my collection, and from the front cover picture on the Internet, purchasers cannot see that it opens out and spans very very wide, just like a bridge in itself. I missed this book terribly, it is one of my treasures, so I was delighted recently to find that I could still buy it on Amazon. It will never be lent out again! I love the black and white photographs of all the world's most interesting bridges. Anyone would learn a great deal from it, and architects and surveyors would find it fascinating.

for more information click here

Bridges is spectacular!

As a history of the world's most famous & important spans this wide, wide book is a spectacular hit! Lots of details, fascinating photos & information. A must for those folks in your life who think bridges are the coolest!

"Bridges" "Skyscrapers" "Churches"

"Bridges" was the first of the uniquely-designed, well-written books by Judith Dupre' that I discovered. "Skyscrapers" then became a 'must-have' and now I'm eagerly awaiting publication of her "Churches" - these books contain marvelous black and white photo collections of subjects around the world, with a succinct and intriguing text about each. They invite repeated perusals, and I keep them, in their handsome jackets, where I can see and enjoy them again and again. Often, when I have a few moments, I like to reflect on the historical descriptions of these wonderous man-made miracles and re-study the photos. Of special interest may be the structures which one in fact has seen, perhaps many times. The books are well-indexed and provided with suggestions for further reading.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Introduction by Frank O. Gehry. Opening to a dazzling full-yard span, this panoramic tour introduces more than fifty of the world's greatest bridges in 200 high-quality black-&-white photographs and an engaging text that sheds light on the historical and technological background of constructions that range from the ancient Roman Pont du Gard to the newly constructed Tsing Ma bridge in Hong Kong.

hot