A Picture History of the Brooklyn Bridge by Shapiro, Mary J. (1983) Paperback

by Mary J. Shapiro

Profusely illustrated account of the greatest engineering achievement of the 19th century. Rare contemporary photos and engravings, accompanied by extensive, detailed captions, recall construction, human drama, politics, much more. 167 black-and-white illustrations.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published March 1, 1983

Reviews

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and that bridge are remarkable. Black and white photos and illustrations throughout.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating pictorial and written history of New York City's Brooklyn Bridge. It was a marvel of engineering back in 1869-1883 when it was built. There were many interesting stories included in this book. The head designer, John Austin Roebling, was killed in a freak accident while working on the bridge and his very capable son, Washington, took over the management of the building the bridge. Later Washington was permanently disabled working on the bridge and so his very intelligent and capable wife, Emily, took the lead for the last 11 years to complete the project. I learned not only a lot about bridge building, but I increased my vocabulary. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in how things are made and how they work.

[Bethany Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For architecture nerds like me, this was a great find. It spends time describing details a bit deeper than I needed but is quite interesting. I longed for more photo and fewer woodcuts, but alas that’s a product of the times - it was 1869-1883 after all.

I enjoyed it