_Bridges_ is divided into chronological sections based on the materials used: stone and brick; wood; iron; steel (divided into three time periods, since there are so many steel bridges); and concrete. Erecting a stone bridge was expensive and time consuming, especially compared to using wood. There are more miles of wooden bridges than any other type in America, although Plowden has little good to say about the "cult of the covered bridge" which has obscured the trusswork he thinks is the important part of these wooden bridges. Iron was used for bridges for only a short time, and iron bridges are the rarest of bridge artifacts. Concrete bridges are the way to go for the main bridge-building impetus in America, the highway system. Reinforced concrete does extremely well for piers to hold bridges up, as well as for the flats that carry traffic. Plowden spends many pages on the most famous type of bridge, the steel spans, and his pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge present them in new ways, and he hurtles through the engrossing stories of their construction because they are relatively familiar. The stories of lesser known bridges, such as the wonderful Eads bridge in St. Louis (built by Captain James Eads, of few engineering credentials and no bridge experience) bring to light many surprising difficulties and solutions the bridge builders came up with.

Plowden's history serves as a demonstration of engineering problem-solving. Each bridge is unique in purpose, location, and difficulties of completion. This is true even in replacement bridges. Many of these beautiful photographs show bridges that are no longer existent. There have been bridge failures, of course, but usually bridges built in the nineteenth century show signs of distress, and are called out of commission. Sometimes railroads simply no longer need a particular link. There are, however, new vistas for bridge building, especially in the straits and bays that have needed bridges and now have proposals for bridges meeting new engineering and economic abilities previously unavailable. Plowden is confident that utility will continue to be combined with beauty, and his handsome book supports such confidence.


The history of American Bridges  Mar 05, 2012 By Patricia H. Ellison
America's bridges are beautiful. This book provides a history of the materials used for construction, the designs of a great many American engineers, and photos of many, many bridges. There is also a comparison of the bridges of America and those of Europe. Now somebody needs to bring all this up through the outstanding bridges of very recent years.


Not just pretty pictures  Jan 12, 2012 By Virginia music lover "cossack"
I bought this book because I like to see pictures of beautiful bridges, and I knew the author's reputation for great photography. However, there was a huge bonus -- the author's entertaining and informative stories behind the building of the important and/or beautiful bridges. Some parts of the descriptions could be dry at times but it is easy to skip to the next paragraph if you fell like you're getting bogged down. He also devotes time to why the bridge was important in the development of bridge architecture. Plus, you'll get stories about the people who designed and built the bridges. The author clearly has a love affair with this form of architecture -- he sees the art as well as the functionality aspects of b ridge building. Highly recommended.