Customer Reviews (6)

Good but not what I was looking for.
I ordered this book for a annual trip. We toured covered bridges in 4 states. This book was a nice size for travel but mainly had information about what the writers saw.I also purchased Covered Bridges - Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia. This book was much more interesting as it contained information on the history of the bridge, not just the state of the bridge when seen.

Looks great
This book was bought for my husband for Christmas..The pictures are very pretty and it gives good discriptions of each bridge and location..

Superbly illustrated with color photographs of each bridge
Wooden covered bridges are found all over the American northeast. The first covered bridge built in the United States was over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania still remains the state with the most surviving covered bridges in the country. Now in a completely updated and expanded second edition, Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges: A Complete Guide is the collaborative effort of Benjamin and June Evans. Criss-crossing the length and breadth of Pennsylvania, the authors visited every one of the 221 remaining covered bridges in the summer of 2000, taking new photographs and noting changes that had taken place since 1993 -- the year they published their guidebook's first edition. An indispensable guide for anyone wanting to tour these historical structures, Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges is superbly illustrated with color photographs of each bridge, while the text provides location and historical data, along with a succinct one paragraph description.

A Better Guide than Last One
This new edition is a much improved version of the previous edition.Contrary to another review here, I still do not find the directions that good.While they are much better than the last edition, they come no where close to as good as the Barna book on bridges in Vermont.I have used this book to track several bridges and found distances listed can be off by as much as 2 to 3 miles compared to the book.Still it is an improvement and you don't need to have township maps of the whole state anymore.

A First-Class Guidebook to Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges
This new and revised edition of the 1993 publication has expanded text and very precise directions for locating every one of the remaining 221 covered bridges in Pennsylvania.This is a "must have" volume for the serious "bridger."The authors revisited every one of the bridges taking new photographs, accurate measurements, and noting specific changes that have taken place since the first edition. This new edition also displays every bridge in full color. ... Read more

Product Description
An inspiring series that follows the development of five architectural and engineering wonders. Get the history behind the building projects and the hurdles their builders faced and overcame, as well as how these wonders affected their surroundings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Engaging historical research
Ms. Weiner brings the history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge to life through this book. She has woven tons of historical information about engineering, social issues, medical issues and much more into an engaging story about this important American structure. As an upper-elementary teacher, I see a lot of potential for using this book in history, science, or an interdisciplinary project. ... Read more

Product Description
Examines the different ways of building bridges and discusses the natural forces affecting their structure and appearance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Great Resource for Teaching Children
This book is a great resource for teaching children about the physical forces associated with buildings (even though this book describes bridge forces, particularly).Forrest Wilson has a witty way of making complex concepts intuitive and relatable, and his illustrative drawings have a signature style that is engaging and accessible.I have used this book to teach fifth graders fundamental architectural concepts with great success.A REALLY STRONG BOOK! ... Read more

Product Description
An absorbing tale of grand dreams, shady politics, daring engineering experiments, greed, ambition, and westward expansion, "Rails Across the Mississippi" is the first book-length history since 1881 to document the planning, financing, and construction of the first bridge across the Mississippi River at St. Louis, a national engineering landmark completed in 1874 that is now known as the Eads Bridge. James B. Eads - who was not even a trained engineer - proposed a radical arch bridge longer than any in existence using steel, a material thought unsuitable for long-span bridges by virtually every engineer in America and Europe. Robert W. Jackson takes a fresh look at this monumental project, dispelling the myths, filling in the gaps left by earlier scholarship, and detailing how Eads tenaciously overcame the many obstacles he faced to realize his unique vision. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

St. Louis vs Chicago in the Railroad Era
In the steamboat era, St. Louis, Gateway to the West, was the fourth largest city in the US, while Chicago was little more than a crossroads.If one were to write a history, the first chapter would be the story of the railroad system built by the State of Missouri.It included a network of roads--Missouri Pacific, Frisco, Iron Mountain, and North Missouri (Wabash)-designed to fan out across the state bringing all traffic to St. Louis.Stock was sold to land owners and county governments, who hoped railroads would increase the value of land-locked land.Bonds were guaranteed by the state.

But Chicago interests, unencumbered by threats of Civil War, won the competition.Backed by Boston financiers, they completed the Hannibal and St. Joseph (CB&Q) across the state before completion of any of the state railroads.Along the way, 43 were killed on the inaugural run of the Missouri Pacific when a bridge over the Gasconade River collapsed.Those killed included some of the most progressive boosters in the state.The state railroads went bankrupt.The state assumed their debts.Missourians paid twice for their railroads.Costs that were scandalous in construction of the Transcontinental Railroad through mountainous terrain, were paid quietly by Missourians for railroads built through their rolling hills.

In the second chapter, Missouri interests hoped that Kansas City or St. Joseph would be selected as the Eastern terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad.Possibly a Southwestern route would be built from Kansas City that would avoid the difficulties of keeping a railroad passable through the mountains in Winter.Again Chicago interests won.Omaha was selected (and railroad building across Iowa took off with vigor).

Jackson's volume describes the third chapter.Chicago had built a drawbridge across the Mississippi at Davenport, IA, in 1855, but it was destroyed by a steamboat collision and fire in 1856.A young Abraham Lincoln represented the railroad in a lawsuit filed against the bridge company (and supported by St. Louis interests).He won the argument that bridges must permit free passage of both railroads and steamboats.Now forces were building to build more Iowa bridges.St. Louis needed a bridge to compete, but the Mississippi in St. Louis is a much more formidable obstacle and bridge building was still a primitive art.Enter James Eads, not really an engineer, but a charismatic,accomplished, doer of projects.He had backing from Pennsylvania Railroad interests (the leading US railroad, whose tracks ended on the East side of the river at St. Louis).Active in the bridge project were president, J. Edgar Thompson, vp Thomas Scott, and Andrew Carnegie.Carnegie is best known as the builder of what became US Steel in Pittsburgh, but he began his career at the Pennsylvania Railroad, where his business skills were noted.He was protege to Thomas Scott.In the Eads' Bridge story, he was present as representative of Keystone Bridge, a private company founded by Pennsylvania Railroad interests to specialize in the construction of iron bridges especially for railroads.Keystone constructed the bridge to James Eads' design.

Author Jackson notes the Pennsylvania Railroad's interest in the Texas Pacific and the Northern Pacific as well as the Atlantic and Pacific (Frisco) and North Missouri (Wabash) in Missouri and suggests this indicates a desire to build a transcontinental railroad system. Its more likely the Pennsylvania thought it important to take care of its feeder lines.Railroads make their money on ton miles.Freight that runs the length of the system is most profitable.Therefore, its important for an East-West system like the Pennsylvania to maintain relationships with lines to the West so they can swap traffic.They do this with personal relationships, and by lending management expertise (as board members) and prestige to assist with financing-preferably without investing the railroad's own capital.

In an age of Enron and Adelphia, its interesting to see the ethics involved in some of the transactions.Robber barons like Jay Gould are known to have bled railroads dry while operating them in bankruptcy.Usually this was accomplished by executives personally owning businesses that sold key supplies to their own railroad-coal, railroad ties, bridges, etc.Profitable construction companies was the device used in the Credit Mobile scandal related to the Transcontinental Railroad.The book suggests that executives of the Pennsylvania Railroad also engaged in these self-dealing practices, practices that would be considered unethical today.

The book tells the full details of the construction of the bridge including the use of caissons to sink the pier foundations to bedrock and the discovery of the bends as the affliction of workers who worked in high air pressure and decompressed quickly.The bridge is mostly iron but used some of the first steel, and fabrication of this steel was troublesome.Numerous difficulties were encountered.The book includes copious illustrations.Its well written and tells the story well.

The book ends in chapter four of our railroad history.Jay Gould becomes the owner of most Missouri railroads and leasee of the Eads' Bridge.He assembled the structure (after years of delay) that finally created a terminal railroad association to construct the first Union Station and the necessary trackage to connect the bridge and the railroads of St. Louis.Other sources indicate Jay Gould's railroad empire in Missouri was assembled to force admission to the Iowa Pool, a revenue sharing arrangement for the lines that connected with the Transcontinental Railroad.He failed in that aspect, but succeeded in being a robber baron, though his empire collapsed soon after his death.

In the end, Eads' Bridge probably came too late to have much impact on the St. Louis-Chicago competition.It did alleviate a serious bottleneck that otherwise might have been a limitation, but the bridge was expensive, and the tolls charged by Jay Gould were high.According to Jackson, the bridge still had $5MM in bonded indebtedness recently-even now long after it is obsolete, but it still is a much deserved landmark to the Spirit of St. Louis. ... Read more

Product Description
A complete guide to more than 200 covered bridges in the six New England states. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

a great "finder"
We thoroughly enjoyed pulling this one out whenever we were in the "neighborhood" of a bridge. It is a great source to locate the bridges and then read about them on the spot- while you are still there to explore.

Useful and Descriptive
I've been to over 80 of the bridges in NH & VT using this book, Google Maps & American Street Atlases.
GPS would be nice but I've found it unnecessary.
I spend an hour or two planning points on Google using bridges from this book.
I print them out for a good turn-by-turn guide from place to place.
A couple of the bridges have been under construction when I got there but hey, it's a 6 year old book and that's to be expected.
Some of the bridges that were under construction when the book was written are completed.
I read the story about the bridge's history in the book while I'm at some of the bridges.
This book has been an essential tool during my covered bridge tours last year & this summer and recommend it unhesitatingly.

What a way to see New England!

Covering all the bridges
This book has been like a bible to me as I set out to photograph covered bridges in New Hampshire and Vermont.

I've used the book in conjunction with my laptop based GPS system to plan my trips and prioritize which bridges to look at.The book is very clearly written, gives interesting historical and structural information, and most importantly, directions for finding the bridges.

The color photos are high quality, so you get a good idea what to expect when you get there. If you're into touring the covered bridges of New England, New England's Covered Bridges: A Complete Guide is a worthwhile investment.

A Must Have Book for Covered Bridge Enthusiasts
This book is very professionally done and is a great bargain at this price. It's a compact size which makes it convienent to carry with you on trips. Another thing I like is the GPS coordinates that they have recorded for each bridge. Anyone who enjoys seeking out old covered bridges should have this book. I highly recommend it! 5 STARS!

Brian McKee, Editor of "The Bridge-Covered Quarterly"

New England History
This is another book I bought as a Christmas present for my grandson when I learned of his interest in covered bridges. This is a good history of covered bridges in New England. I enjoyed this because of the excellent pictures and know my grandson will enjoy it too. ... Read more

Product Description
A remarkable gallery of lavish photographs which elevate bridges from pieces of the roadway to pieces of art. The 283 colorful pictures cover 20 centuries and 16 countries across North America and Europe, concentrating on structures with striking aesthetic features.The succinct but somehow satisfying captions reveal that Cortright has made an extensive study of his favorite photographic subjects.This splendid book, a testament to one man’s fascination, invites the reader’s wonder at the utility and grace, strength and imagination, the art and science of bridges. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Perfect gift (especially for yourself)
I'm a giver of books:novels, poetry, cookbooks, and more than any other single book, this one:"Bridging." It has art and love, form and metaphor.The beautiful images and the metaphor of"bridging" -- and the personality of the recipient and theoccasion for the gift -- make inscribing the book for a friend apleasure.

I grew up with the Mississippi bridges of St. Louis and havelived for decades with the bridges of New York City -- so I feel that thephotographer is a kindred spirit and made this book for me. Cortrightawakens the eye and mind to the beauty of bridges -- from all angles and inall weathers.These are not promotional postcards, but lovingly composedand arranged photographs that give us not only the settings but thepersonalities of these bridges.

See the Civil Engineering review belowfor a fine appreciation of bridge builders' and Cortright's achievements --technically and aesthetically.Better yet, take a look at the book.

A nice scrapbook of photos
I bought this book sight-unseen on the basis of reviews and, honestly, was a little disappointed. This book is basically a collection of the author's own pictures he has taken in his years of travelling the world and visitingbridges. I think the personality of the book will win you over because hereally does have a wonderful appreciation of bridges. But if it was cloudythe day he visited that bridge, you get a picture on a cloudy day. I alsothought the printing was not great quality.

Review printed in November 1998 issue of "Civil Engineering"
"CIVIL ENGINEERING" PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS LONDON,NOVEMBER 1998

Bridging - discovering the beauty of bridges

This is a little book (235 x 187 x 13mm) in metric measurement,but it is a very big book when one considers the quality of itsconstruction and the quality of its contents.Its stitched signaturescontain 283 glossy full colour bridge photographs from 16 North Americanand European countries.The photographs selected for publication were ofbridges constructed throughout the last 20 centuries, including 20 stonestructures of Roman construction.The book consists primarily ofphotographs, with a brief introductory text for various book divisions, andbrief and generally interesting photo captions. The book appearsto be a labour of love for Mr Robert S. Cortright, a retired banker, andhis patient and supportive wife Kathy who initially were

`enthusiastic tourists, thrilled with all of the sights encountered intravel. Gradually [their] focus of attention and the focus of thecamera began to be concentrated upon bridges. Ultimately, thatconcentration escalated to the level of an obsession.'

Thisobsession, supported and guided by a perceptive eye and an intuitiveappreciation for the conceptual genius and exceptional craftsmanshipdisplayed by early bridge builders, and by the time, patience, andpersistence to locate suitable perspectives, resulted in a portfolio ofover 4,000 bridge photographs from 20 countries.Of these, nearly 300,considered by Robert Cortright to be his best, now grace the pages of thisfine publication.

Unfortunately, the editors, in an apparent effortto achieve page format variety, an effort that has generally succeeded,spoiled a few of the larger photographs by superimposing caption textdirectly on the photographs.However, this one fault diminishes theoverall quality of the book only slightly.

Bridging will make asuitable companion to Fritz Leonhardt's Bridges: aesthetics and design andto the Highway Agency's The appearance of bridges.It should be in thepersonal library of all bridge engineers, architects and other fine bridgeenthusiasts.For those interested in this book, copies should be obtainedas soon as possible, since the modest cover price of $29.95 suggests thatits first edition may not be available for long. M. P. Burke

Fascinating,eye-opening and a heck of a lot of fun
Like most people, I'd never really noticed bridges before reading this book.After looking through this book at my father in-law's house, though, I can't stop noticing every one I encounter.

Bridges are little pieces ofland suspended over a precipice.Engineers have spent the last 3000 yearstrying to solve the problems of seemingly uncrossable rivers and chasms,and Cortright's photographic selection of bridges, spanning more than twomillenia and 16 countries, traces the increasingly more sophisticated waysthat builders have triumphed.Interestingly, many seemingly high-techsolutions go right back to the very first arches and cantilevers.Othersseem totally out of this world.

You'll learn alot about the differentkinds of bridges and their basic principles, but more than that, this bookis downright entertaining.Cortright appears to be one part expertphotographer and one part eccentric, and his gorgeous photographs aregrouped by in ways that tickle one's fancy rather than in a dry, dustytextbook manner.Categories include Stone Bridges, Wooden Bridges, Bridgesof Iron and Steel, Bridges that Move, bridges that people live on,Aqueducts and much more.It even has a photo of a bridge with a gianttroll living under it (I kid you not).The final chapter entitled"The Little Woman" is sure to catch you by surprise, and bestsums up the quirky charm that enlivens this book.

Long on great photoswith just the right amount of text to help you appreciate them, this bookis great for an eight year-old or for a highway engineer.

Highly highlyrecommended.

The beauty of bridges is out there... and in this book
This unique symphony of pictures can create a newly loved appreciation ofbridges or emphasise a love with its array of vivid images from all overthe world. One may have had the pleasure to view, experience and feel manybuildings, however this book will change the way you see and feel about"just" a bridge. ... Read more

Product Description

Building a Bridge is a Capstone Press publication.

... Read more

Product Description
Thousands of captivating facts and figures about America are packed into these colorful introductory reference volumes.Clear, simple spreads about our nation's most awe-inspiring natural features and landmarks make 'America's Top 10' books a wonderful way to get young readers hooked on reference. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

One Teacher's Opinion
I just finished reading this book as part of my preparation for a Middle School unit on Bridge Construction, and I am disappointed. If you are looking for a quick and simple reference book, you may be satisfied;however, I found it thin on text (only 24 pages long, including the index),with only two to five paragraphs of collected information, facts andhistorical bits on each bridge. The text is dry; thus, I am not convincedit would engage young readers, and it offers very little to help kidsconceptually understand the different brdige types it features.This booknever does answer the question: "Why are THESE ten bridges America'sTOP bridges?"

The full page, color photographs do offer goodexamples of suspension, trestle, cantilever, pontoon, and stone archbridges, all from the United States. ... ... Read more

Product Description
Explores amazing structures from around the world, looking at their development, techniques and materials used. This work offers information, charts and facts, covering various aspects of the design and construction of structures. It features photographs, and includes experiments to help understanding. ... Read more

Product Description
Among the 330 feats of engineering genius documented here are bridges found all over the United States, from Brooklyn to the Golden Gate and landmark dams such as the Hoover, Grand Coulee, Norris and Shasta. The introduction presents an overview of bridge and dam history, while special sections outline preservation issues and demonstrate the significance of these structures in America's history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Love the dams -- great book. Pricey
I really liked this book, particularly the fact that it shows dams from every state, talks about the various styles of how dams are built, and has fantastic pictures. I find myself going back to it regularly to look something up, or just to enjoy seeing the various places it highlights. If you like dams and bridges, you'll enjoy having this in your collection. All that said, it's very pricy for the content. That's what brought the review down.

More bridges please
This is a wonderful book for bridge and dam lovers.It manages to cover quite a bit, but could use an update, longer discussion of each project, and MORE BRIDGES!But then, you can't have too many interesting bridges in my experience.

The book covers bridges and dams coast-to-coast as they were in 1989, as well as some which were already gone as of that date.Recommended.

Forget the book, use the web
I have to say this book was a great disappointment I was expecting lots of information and some great pictures.

What this book is can be classified more as a dictionary or an encyclopedia.it's a small book (5x10).The pictures are small and in black and white. And there's maybe a paragraph on each structure.Not much information at all - probably best used as a table reference.

This is book is from 1988 - back before the internet was a big thing.So not only are structures from the last 20 years not in here, you could probably use Google to find more information on any of the structures in here.

It was a good book in it's time, but really not worth your purchase today. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
An essential reference for engineers, public works administrators and contractors, researchers and students, this book provides a systematic study of bridge substructure and foundation elements, presents explicit methods of analysis, design and detailing, and offers case studies. It reflects the distinct evolution in bridge design concepts, theories, and analysis methods that has recently taken place. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

REVISION DEL LIBRE DE DISEÑO DE SUBESTRUCTURAS
ES UN LIBRO DE REFERENCIA PARA ACTUN LOS NUEVOS CRITERIOS DE LA AASHTO EN LA PRACTICA.-LO RECOMIENDO AMPLIAMENTE, ME SIRVI{O PARA ACLARAR VARIOS ASPECTOS DEL DISEÑO MUY IMPORTANTES.

FIRST REVIEW
I FOUND THIS BOOK VERY INTERESTED; BECAUSE IT CONTAINS A LOT OF TOPICS (I THINK IT'S A COMPLETE BOOK) BUT IS TOO MUCH GENERAL; IN OTHER WORDS; THE AUTHOR TOOK DEFINITIONS OF OTHER AUTHORS WITHOUT LOOK FOR A DEEP (OR AN MORE SPECIFIC) DEFINITION.

HOVEWER; I INSIST ; "IT'S A COMPLETE BOOK" ... Read more

Product Description
Author in the News:On July 31, 2003, the architect Santiago Calatrava was chosen to design a new PATH railway terminal on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. Calatrava is internationally noted for his accomplishments in transportation architecture; The New York Times's Herbert Muschamp writes that he has "taken this genre of design to the level of genius." Calatrava's reputation is largely the result of several distinctive bridge projects, all of which exhibit both his singular design style and his engineering acumen. The Alamillo Bridge in Seville, Spain, is one of his signature structures.About this book:Cultural icon, daring engineering spectacle, and highly controversial structure, the Alamillo Bridge stands almost 150 meters tall, with an inclined pylon whose own weight balances that of the deck and traffic. Built for the 1992 Universal Exposition in Seville, Spain, the bridge immediately received great international attention that continues to this day.Santiago Calatrava received a direct commission to design the bridge and seized the opportunity to create a design breakthrough--a stunning, harp-shaped bridge that defies both gravity and traditional bridge design. Along with the inclined pylon, cantilevered roadways, and elevated walkways, the striking absence of symmetry in the Alamillo Bridge prompts the observer to wonder anew, "What is a bridge?"In this book, the first to document Calatrava's work in depth, Spiro Pollalis describes each step of the bridge's design and construction, explaining the architectural intentions that motivated Calatrava's decisions along the way. He presents the constructed bridge element by element, along with the relevant engineering calculations and technical issues. The book is both a fascinating story of the intricate process of creating architecture in contemporary society and an accessible technical reading of an unprecedented feat in bridge design and engineering. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

excellent book about excellent bridge
..Congratulations to authors..topic,presentation, graphics, photos..all together are excellent...This is a book which gives an in-depth presentation of design/construction process of Alamillo Bridge.Detailedstructural drawings, structural analysis-design and its construction ..everything is in this book..in detail.....Very useful for structural engineers and everyone interested in bridge design.

A complete description of the bridge construction
This is an useful and complete book describing the construction of Alamilo Bridge in Seville, Spain, for the Universal Exposition in 1992.With step-by-step descriptions from the project to the finished bridge, full of pictures, graphics, calculations, structural and design analysis, costs, detailed drawings showing the assembly details drawn by Alberto Diaz-Hermidas; a complete publication including description of the local government tramitation. This book written by Spiro Pollalis is a must for students and graduated architects and engineers with interest in construction of unconventional bridges like Santiago Calatrava's works, now finishing an expansion project for Milwaukee Art Museum (inauguration probably by Oct. 2001) ... Read more