Rating: 
Summary: Masterful History of Complex Engineering & New York Politics
Review: For those who wonder just how good written histories can be, David McCullough's "The Great Bridge" sets the bar incredibly high. He takes what could be an exceedingly dull tale of draftsmen and construction contracts and tells a spell-binding narrative of heroism, pioneering vision, and hard-ball politics. "The Great Bridge" is a book for the ages.
McCullough reminds the reader that before the Space Race or the mania to build the world's fastest computer, Americans were fascinated by mammoth construction projects. A bridge was much more than a means to improve transportation -- it was a statement of man's ability to conquer obstacles through mastering scientific principles. Following the carnage and chaos of the Civil War, Americans craved the certainty of science and worshipped the men who could prove that science did, in fact, conquer all.
John Roebling and his son, Civil War hero Washington, were two such men. "Thinking outside the box" is too limiting a cliche to apply to these two driven men. Pioneers in both construction and the cable-building fields, both men combined a spartan existence and a single-minded pursuit of their goals to push the Brooklyn Bridge forward despite overwhelming obstacles.
"The Great Bridge" tells a tale that is often bitter despite the glorious result. John Roebling dies a horrible death before he sees the completion of the bridge. Many of the workers in the 'caissons,' which were the underwater (and therefore highly pressurized) work chambers that allowed the men to sink the foundations to the required depths, experienced the terrors of a new phenomenon called the "bends." Washington Roebling, perhaps due to too many hours spent personally supervising work in the caissons, was left a nervous wreck by the stress of overseeing construction and spent many years watching from his distant bedroom window, incapable of visiting the work site.
Thrown against this devotion to duty is the greed of so many in the New York political establishment . . . including the notorious Boss Tweed. Without going over the top, McCullough depicts the stranglehold a few individuals could exercise over the dynamic New York society. The craven efforts to win contracts and slander the Roeblings are infuriating and make the Roeblings' accomplishment that much more noteworthy.
Several passages are particularly moving. There's the guy who actually guesses what causes the bends but doesn't quite "get it," so nobody involved in the bridge gets the benefit of his speculations. There's Washington Roebling nervously taking side trips to see if he can withstand the stress of making bridge-related public appearances. Then there's the "little guy," leaving from a day's work in the caissons to drink away his meager day's salary. To say that these scenes capture the "human drama" involves is an understatement.
Again, McCullough presents these stories alongside the complex engineering details of the bridge, which drives the story forward while informing the reader. While not a page-turner in the Dan Brown sense, "The Great Bridge" is nevertheless captivating because McCullough captures the essence of these real people so well. By the end, the reader feels like an honorary Roebling!
Such a magnificent construction as the Brooklyn Bridge (it makes you smile when, decades after completion, the city commissions an engineering review of the bridge to determine how the bridge needs to be shored up and the conclusion is a sheepish, "needs new paint") demands a magnificent historical treatment. McCullough has given us just that.
For devotees of Ken Burns' amazing "Civil War" PBS series, you can easily hear McCullough narrating this book with his bourbon-smooth tenor -- it adds something special.
As an additional aside, reading this book will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the Meg Ryan romantic comedy "Kate and Leopold," which opens with an imagined scene where Washington Roebling presides over the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, which he calls "the greatest erection on the planet!" (Fortunately, watching "Kate and Leopold" is not required to enjoy the book on its own merits.)
A must for any student of American history.
Rating: 
Summary: Detailed
Review: I recently read this work via Books on Tape, in a 1990 recording by Grover Gardner. (17 CDs) I felt that he did a fine job of reading this text. At first glance I thought the book would be one about engineering, etc. While this work does include some of these data, the book is largely about the people and times surrounding the construction of this "8th" wonder of the world. McCullough does wonderfully to bring into focus the various problems which faced those 19th century personalities involved in this project. Good reading for anyone liking more insights into this interesting area of American history.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful story
Review: I've have spent the last 21 years in the constuction trade , as a carpenter working my way up to a superintendent.I have worked on every thing from your basic home , to high rises in San Francisco and L.A. This book (along with McCullough's book on the Panama Canal)have to be the most enjoyable and engrossing consturction books I have ever read. In fact David McCullough has renewed my flagging interest in my own trade, the story's are very colorful, it's not hard to feel as if you are there.A great read,don't pass it up!
Rating:
Summary: One of My All-Time Favorites
Review: If you have read McCullough, this is as good as anything he's ever written. If not, this is a great place to start.
The Great Bridge tells the story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. As McCullough always does, he starts with a story about people, in this case, the Roebling's who designed and built the bridge. Into that story McCullough seamlessly weaves a portrait of life and politics in New York in the 1870s and 1880s and the engineering and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.
It is a completely readable story that leaves you with a real appreciation for what it was like to live at a time when everything seemed to be changing and it felt like man and technology could conquer all.
A great read.
Rating:
Summary: "...and yet the bridge is beautiful..."
Review: In this day and age, what the name David McCullough means to part-time history buffs and amatuer historians (like myself) is excellence in writing, research and comprehensiveness. This reputation was undoudbtedly built based on classics like "The Great Bridge", written in 1972. Herein, the reader is exposed to spectactular writing and research that not only covers the planning and building of the Brooklyn Bridge, but indeed a history of the Gilded Age in New York city. With an enlightening style and insight that exceeds most other histories, McCullough defines "readable history" and in the process produces a classic that has and will continue to be the apex of literary history.And what a story it is! Following the Civil War, master bridge builder John Roebling decides that a great suspension bridge between Brooklyn and New York city (present day Manhattan) is not only needed, but would continue his reputation as bridge builder par-excellance. His son, Civil War General Washington Roebling (notable at Gettysburg and Petersburg) becomes Chief Engineer when his father tragically dies during the initial stages of construction on the bridge and proceeds to project an aura of moral integrity and spiritual "high-ground" that sets the tone for the subsequent 14 years that it took to complete this masterpiece. McCullough's account documents this and goes on to explain the initial planning and technical issues of such a massive project. The theory of suspension bridges and all the engineering technicalities is succinctly described by McCullough and this base understanding is what the rest of the story is based on (wires/cable hung form two large towers is the base format). The construction of the (2) towers is eloquently descibed at the sinking of the timber caissons (large "rooms" made of timber that the stone towers were to be built upon) and the subsequent details of working within them. Frustration abounds as the the Brooklyn side tower caisson goes slower than planned and McCullough describes the technical problems along with an amazingingly comprehensive discussion of the "mysterious maladay", ultimately known as the "bends". Worker-level stories surface here to give immediacy to the story and McCullough is masterful at describing them. The cable construction and subsequent controversey surrounding the contract and testing of the steel/iron would be boring to most readers, but McCullough makes this an intriguing part of the story. The political side of the bridge construction is not given short-shrift either as McCullough deftly descibes New York city Gilded era politics and specifically discloses the rise and fall of the "Boss Tweed Ring" and Tammany politics in general. This side of the bridge story, McCullough states, is as important to the final product as the engineering and construction...again, he makes this exceedingly readable while extolling it's importance to the story. Commitee upon commitee are formed to decide on both the technical and personal issues associated with project completion and here is where the controversy surrounding Washington Roebling's health (he was an unfortunate victim of the bends among other things) and mental capacity are manifested upon the completion...McCullough is again masterful at integrating this major poltitcal milestone with the story. The last few chapters are dedicated to describing completion and subsequent public reaction to the bridge and McCullough is superb at depicting late 19th century life in New York. The celebration on May 20th 1883 is a grand one and is placed in perspective in the last paragraph of the book: "In another time and in what would seem another world, on a day when two young men were walking on the moon, a very old woman on Long Island would tell reporters that the public excitement over the feat was not so much compared to what she had seen 'on the day they opened the Brooklyn Bridge' " Having walked and driven over the bridge many times, and having derived the name for my daughter from it, I can say that I have a somewhat personal stake and appeal in it. I also can say that I never gave a second thought about it's construction or the fascinating story that went into building it when I walked and drove it, until now. My compliments to David McCullough for giving us a marvelous story and book and giving those of us who've taken the bridge for granted a new perspective. I can't wait to go back and view it with this new knowledge of it's consruction and I'd wager that this is David McCullough's greatest gift...I give this work my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: My Bridge
Review: It is hard for me to be objective about this book. First off, I am a great admirer of David McCullough's histories. Second, I have published two novels which are set in New York during the mid-19th Century. But what probably makes it hardest for me to be objective is that I have walked over that bridge for my own personal pleasure so many times over the decades that I consider it an old friend. It's my bridge. Having said all that, I can say that Mr. McCullough has written a history that is not only about a bridge and its builders, which are fascinating subjects in their own right, but it is also about what New Yorkers were thinking back then. This was still a horizontal world; the era of early skyscrapers was a few decades away. Because of this and the rapid growth in population after the Civil War, Manhattan was mostrously choked by block after block of four- and five-story tenements, warehouses and factories. The need for a reliable means to get to the vast open spaces of Brooklyn was urgent. Ironically, however, it wasn't the horizontal--the length of the bridge--which stunned the witnesses to the construction. Instead they marvelled at the height of the towers and the height of the roadway over the East River. Not as ironic, however, were the people who didn't marvel at the bridge's beauty and the strength of its construction. They were too busy licking their lips, wringing their hands and wondering how much of the bridge's budget would make its way into their wallets. The elements of corruption, then as now, always lurked near a great public work in New York. McCullough covers this tainted side just as carefully as he reports on the glory of the growth of the bridge. Heroes (the Roeblings) and villains (Tweed & Co.) abound, while New York's most beautiful and efficient structure comes to life. I've been as honest as possible. I recommend this book highly to anyone with an interest in engineering, New York history, or just a good story with great characters. Rocco Dormarunno
Instructor, College of New Rochelle
Rating:
Summary: A classic mix of engineering, social and medical history.
Review: It would be difficult to overpraise this splendid book - and indeed one might have thought it a unique achievement had McCullough not pulled off the trick equally well in "The path Between the Seas". The main theme may be the conception, design and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, but into this are woven absorbing accounts of the social and political history of Gilded Age New York, the development of the technologies of underwater-foundations and of cable manufacture and spinning, the agonising quest to understand and treat the phenomenon of "the bends', the challenge of managing a project of a size unprecedented since classical times and, above all, the characters of a remarkable collection of men and women who were undauntedly resourceful in taking on the impossible. The story may be dominated by two engineers, the Roeblings, father and son, and by the latter's formidable wife, but a host of other fascinating personalities are brought to life, ranging from audaciously corrupt politicians, through noble and heroic army officers, down to individual technicians and workers. Mr.McCullough has a special gift for explaining technical complexities in simple and fascinating terms - this applies not only to the construction of the bridge and its foundations, but to the horrific and initially misunderstood challenge of what was termed "caisson sickness". The narrative never flags and the dangers and discomforts - indeed the sheer dreadfulness of working under pressure in the foundation caissons - are brought vividly to life. The writer excels at the moments of the highest drama - such as the almost catastrophic fire in one of the caissons, when the tension is almost unbearable, even when the final outcome is known to the reader a century and a quarter later. Every aspect of American life of the period seems to be covered somewhere in this book - the experience of immigration and assimilation, service in the most bloody campaigns of the Civil War, Spiritualism, the Beecher adultery scandal and the apogee, decline and fall of Tammany, all described with verve and elegance. The well-chosen illustrations complement the text admirably. In summary this is a book to treasure - to read once at the gallop, breathless to know what happened next, and then to read again at leisure - and again, and again. Wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: Classic McCullough.
Review: McCullough again shows his mastery as a writer of history in this look at the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. His unusual literary gift for bringing the principal characters to life is very much in evidence here, though I think his real artform is his ability to illuminate them with the glow of more peripheral characters. In any case, this is an excellent book about the Bridge and about the man who built it.
Rating:
Summary: McCullough: The Master Storyteller
Review: McCullough is an amazing researcher and writer. His narrative style turns almost unknown historical events into "epic stories." And "The Great Bridge" is no exception. I came to know McCullough after "John Adams" was published, but have since decided to take the time to read all of his works. He never ceases to amaze me. "The Great Bridge" is a well-written, interesting, detailed history of the Broklyn Bridge, the Eight Wonder of the Modern World. The characters come to life in this story, and the reader is transported into late nineteenth century New York City as an insider to watch the bridge rise from the caissons below the East River to the two gothic arches that dominated the skyline at their completion. From there, the reader can vividly visualize the wire and roadway stretch across the river until the bridge's completion. The book then ends with a spectacular grand opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. McCullough also focuses on the politics and people behind the bridge, and finishes his masterpiece by quoting an elderly woman from Long Island that remembers that the excitement in 1969, when two men walked on the moon, was nothing compared to the day the Brooklyn Bridge opened. I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good history. This book is not just for lovers of New York City and civil engineers. "The Great Bridge" is another McCullough masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: McCullough: The Master Storyteller
Review: McCullough is an amazing researcher and writer. His narrative style turns almost unknown historical events into "epic stories." And "The Great Bridge" is no exception. I came to know McCullough after "John Adams" was published, but have since decided to take the time to read all of his works. He never ceases to amaze me. "The Great Bridge" is a well-written, interesting, detailed history of the Broklyn Bridge, the Eight Wonder of the Modern World. The characters come to life in this story, and the reader is transported into late nineteenth century New York City as an insider to watch the bridge rise from the caissons below the East River to the two gothic arches that dominated the skyline at their completion. From there, the reader can vividly visualize the wire and roadway stretch across the river until the bridge's completion. The book then ends with a spectacular grand opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. McCullough also focuses on the politics and people behind the bridge, and finishes his masterpiece by quoting an elderly woman from Long Island that remembers that the excitement in 1969, when two men walked on the moon, was nothing compared to the day the Brooklyn Bridge opened. I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good history. This book is not just for lovers of New York City and civil engineers. "The Great Bridge" is another McCullough masterpiece.
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