Bridges: A History of the World's Most Famous and Important Spans

by Judith Dupre, Frank Gehry (Introduction)

ntroduction 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.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, History, Photography, Reference, Environment, Coffee Table Books

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 1997

About the author

Judith Dupré writes books that bridge the worlds of art, photography, and architecture in ways that delight and educate. She has written several works of illustrated nonfiction that have been translated into ten languages, including Skyscrapers (Black Dog & Leventhal/ Workman, 1996); Bridges (Black Dog & Leventhal/Workman, 1997); Churches (HarperCollins, 2001), a New York Times bestseller; and Monuments (Random House, 2007).

Her newest book, Full of Grace: Encountering Mary in Faith, Art & LIfe, will be published on November 2, 2010. Full of Grace offers a new twist on this popular subject, taking the reader inside the Virgin Mary’s world in ancient Palestine and showing, equally, how thoroughly she inhabits our own, twenty-first century experiences. The book touches on Mary’s Jewish roots, her veneration by Muslims, and Our Lady of Guadalupe’s powerful presence in Hispanic communities. More intimately, it explores the joys of motherhood and friendship, the nature of surrender, and the pain of loss through a Marian lens in 59 essays—one for each bead of the rosary.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Judith received degrees in English and Studio Art from Brown University, and subsequently studied at the Open Atelier of Design and Architecture in Manhattan. Currently, she is at Yale University doing advanced studies on the role of time, memory, and ritual in architecture and community building. She is an Intent Voice on Intent.com, and an Advisory Board member of Faith & Form, the journal of the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture, a professional interest area of the American Institute of Architects. She lives with her family outside of New York City.

Reviews

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful table top book with stunning images of bridges old and new.

Dupre details the various methods of construction and the history of the various construction methods but not in a granular version.

Easy to read and pleasing on the eye

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories behind these bridges impressed upon me mankind's ingenuity and and ambition. I found the ecological and environmental factors taken into account in modern-day bridge building particularly interesting and inspiring. Just the right amount of technical description for a non-engineer. The gorgeous photographs have me wanting to travel to see some of these bridges firsthand.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book. Easily accessible for the non-professional with bridges put in groups with a quick history/explanation. Copious photographs. Really lovely. Would even be a great coffee table gift book for birthday or holidays for the bridge fan in your life.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding photos and descriptions of bridges that most of us never even thought existed. The descriptions are understandable by an intelligent non-civil engineer. Highly recommend to anyone who is even remotely curious about these structures.

[David Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, every picture and every paragraph. The NYT has it right : “Dupre captivates the eye, mind, and imagination in this ode to the greatest spans and cantilevers of the world.” Learned a lot about bridges too.

[Patrick Galvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a stunning book. I purchased it as a gift for a colleague over a year ago. She continues to rave about the book, which she displays prominently in her office. Beautiful book for anyone who loves the aesthetic and history of bridges.

[Kamia R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this in one sitting like a decadent scoop of mascarpone ice cream. A visually arresting book about the beauty in functionality. The large format print was made to grace coffee tables and lose track of time in.

[TC Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful visuals and a very striking format. The family and I enjoyed paging through the stories and admiring the engineering marvels

[Mohammed Alshehhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب جميل عن الجسور مع الصور و تاريخها
مع نبذة عن اشهر المصممين

الجسور تجمع بين الجمال والهندسة وتروي قصصًا عبر العصور والحضارات.

[Joey Genna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not often I sit down and read a book in one sitting, much less a book as unreviewed as this, but I can happily say I’ve come away content.

The last 20 pages were a bit of a slog, and I may or may not have merely skimmed pages 118-119, but if you have a few hours to spare, it’s pretty informative and insightful. 9/10 would recommend

[Robin Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page 24, 26, 32, 34, 36, 42, 54, 58, 62, 72, 78, 80, 82, 86, 88, 96, 98, 100, 104

[Robby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book stands out for many reasons and justifies a 5 for all of them. It draws ones attention by its' shear size/measurement of 7 & 3/4" by 18 & 1/8". The stories inside are intriguing and informative; but the pictures and photography are mesmerizing. A story example; paraphrased: "The Old London Bridge was completed in 1209 and stood for over six hundred years. It replaced a series of timber spans that had either burned or collapsed, most notably in 1014, when the Vikings pulled it down while it was full of Danish soldiers - a feat immortalized in the rhyme "London Bridge is Falling Down." I had always been a little curious about that ditty and where it came from - now I know. And of course it goes on to explain the interesting story of how an American later purchased the bridge and relocated it to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Unless your a bridge hater; this book will draw attention no matter where it's placed in the room. For those who still have or even know what a coffee table is this book would display nicely. Highly recommend this exemplary book for all who love bridges and for even those few who don't. Enjoy.

[Di · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very graphically appealing, but to actually read this book is cumbersome and at times uncomfortable due to its size. It's informative, the pictures chosen were beautiful, and some trivia sort of items were mixed in, such as bridges in movies, and record braking bridges.
It's a great book to peruse through, but not really a book meant to be read, although its rich in content.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great photos and info, however not one you can sit back with and enjoy comfortably; width/height ratio demands a nice flat, level surface for those wishing to avoid ripping of pages.

[Margaret Carpenter]

generally i use the self-checkout at my library because i'm antisocial but this book was so big that i couldn't fit it under the scanner so i had to take it to the desk

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with other reviewers. Very interesting content. I learned a lot. But the long pages kept whipping me in my face as I read (lying down).

[Joseph Schlesinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent photography! Interesting background information! Excellent photography! Unusual book format to emphasize the length of a typical span! Oh, did I mention excellent photography?

[Whitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way to big to read on the train. Extremely enjoyable scale

[Bidasari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Antara coffee table book yang den akan ulang baca sebab awesome banget.

Dicoretkan tentang 56 buah jambatan di seantero dunia.

Ini adalah antara buku yang terbaik den pernah baca dalam hidup den.