Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America Book

Petroski reveals the science and engineering--not to mention the politics, egotism, and sheer magic--behind America's great bridges, particularly those constructed during the great bridge-building era starting in the 1870s and continuing through the 1930s. It is the story of the men and women who built the St. Louis, the George Washington, and the Golden Gate bridges, drawing not only on their mastery of numbers but on their gifts for persuasion and self-promotion. It is an account of triumphs and ignominious disasters (including the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which literally twisted itself apart in a high wind). And throughout this grandly engaging book, Petroski lets us see how bridges became the "symbols and souls" of our civilization, as well as testaments to their builders' vision, ingenuity, and perseverance.

"Seamlessly linked...With astonishing scope and generosity of view, Mr. Petroski places the tradition of American bridge-building in perspective."--New York Times Book Review

Petroski has already initiated readers into the hidden mysteries of such everyday artifacts as the lead pencil, the paper clip, the zipper, and Post-it notes. Now, he makes a considerable jump in scale in order to contemplate those "dry paths" across the rivers and inlets of our cities and countrysides--those eminently practical yet strikingly beautiful edifices that persist in taking our collective breath away--bridges. 131 illustrations.