Bridges That Changed the World
- Book Review,
by Bernhard Graf
From Booklist
A pictorial list of 50 spans, Graf's album exalts both famous and utterly obscure bridges. By including rope bridges in Nepal, and the newest suspension bridge giants in Japan and Denmark, the author underscores the commonality to any bridge's purpose: vaulting chasms and straits to link people and commerce. Florence's famous Ponte Vecchio, with the shops built onto its spans, expresses the idea literally, while other celebrated bridges do so symbolically, like the now-destroyed Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia. Whatever a bridge's exact physical purpose, it also exudes a powerful aesthetic presence that Graf handsomely displays: the book's design faces a one-page historical description with a full-page photograph, with an oblong format enhancing the feeling of length. This effect is especially graceful on the An Ji Bridge in China, a beautiful 1,400-year-old structure. Turning from medieval stone bridges to those of the Industrial Revolution, Graf selects the seminal Iron Bridge in Britain, and he represents modernism with the single-mast Alamillo Bridge in Seville. An appealing diversion for browsers. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Whether they span rivers or harbors, cultures or countries, bridges have long been a symbol of man’s ingenuity, perseverance, and thirst for exploration. Starting with ancient bridges built by the Mongol and Roman Empires through future bridges that exist only in blueprints, this newest addition to Prestel’s highly successful "Changed the World" series travels the globe to examine fifty of the world’s most important bridges and the history, legends, and people behind them. In stunning two-page spreads filled with photographs, plans, drawings, and accessible, informative text, this colorful architectural and historical journey explains why bridges continue to fascinate us, both as examples of engineering genius and artistic vision. It reveals little-known facts that deepen our appreciation of the science and technology of bridge-building, introduces historic events in which bridges have played a central role, and offers surprising reexaminations of some of the world’s most familiar bridges. From the glory of the Golden Gate to the grace of the Ponte Vecchio, the imposing presence of London’s Tower Bridge to a stone structure in Afghanistan’s Quala Panji that is still used today, Bridges That Changed the World is a celebration of our steadfast desire to connect with and discover the world around us.
From the Publisher
In stunning two-page spreads filled with photographs, plans, drawings, and accessible, informative text, this colorful architectural and historical journey explains why bridges continue to fascinate us, both as examples of engineering genius and artistic vision. It reveals little-known facts that deepen our appreciation of the science and technology of bridge-building, introduces historic events in which bridges have played a central role, and offers surprising reexaminations of some of the world’s most familiar bridges. From the glory of the Golden Gate to the grace of the Ponte Vecchio, the imposing presence of London’s Tower Bridge to a stone structure in Afghanistan’s Quala Panji that is still used today, Bridges That Changed the World is a celebration of our steadfast desire to connect with and discover the world around us.
About the Author
Bernhard Graf, a German scholar and art historian who has written numerous books, is the co-author of Buildings That Changed the World and Paintings That Changed the World (Prestel). He lives in Munich, Germany.
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