Bridges: From My Side to Yours (Single Titles) - Hardcover

Adkins, Jan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761325107 ISBN 13: 9780761325109

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2002

Synopsis

Bridge building is given fascinating life in this accessible, wonderfully illustrated study. Ranging from ancient Rome to the present day, from simple log bridges to marvels of industrial technology, and from well-known landmarks to little-known feats of engineering and art, this book gives readers a new appreciation for that most familiar of structures, the bridge.

About this title

About the Author

Jan Adkins is the author and illustrator of Bridges: From My Side to Yours, called "an excellent survey" by Booklist and "an outstanding book for reference and enjoyment" by The Horn Book. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

Reviews

Grade 5-9 Adkins successfully tackles the art and science of 10,000 years of bridge building and imparts a lot of historical drama along the way. In seven thoroughly engaging chapters, he explores different types of bridges and the technologies that produced them. Simple stepping-stone and log bridges, the influence of the Roman Empire on engineering, the achievements of the Industrial Revolution, and the challenges faced in modern bridge design are covered in generally chronological order. Fascinating human-interest tidbits add historical context: readers learn how London Bridge served as a display for the heads of traitors, satisfying Queen Elizabeth I, "a suspicious queen who-had trouble with plots and conspiracies." While some landmark structures are included, the emphasis is on explaining structural principles and describing the methods and materials of construction of the day. A picture is truly worth a thousand words when the subjects are trusses, cantilevers, and caissons, and Adkins's firmly rendered black-and-white sketches, diagrams, cross-sections, key maps, and portraits will add immeasurably to readers' understanding of the text. An economical and helpful glossary and index are included. Bridges complements David Macaulay's Building Big (Houghton, 2000), and makes a technical subject readily accessible to a wide audience. -Mary Ann Carcich, Mattituck-Laurel Public Library, Mattituck, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0761325107
• ISBN 13: 9780761325109
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Adkins Jan
• Number of pages: 96