The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn BridgeFirst published in 1972, The Great Bridge is the classic account of one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. Winning acclaim for its comprehensive look at the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, this book helped cement David McCullough's reputation as America's preeminent social historian. Now, The Great Bridge is reissued as a Simon & Schuster Classic Edition with a new introduction by the author. This monumental book brings back for American readers the heroic vision of the America we once had. It is the enthralling story of one of the greatest events in our nation's history during the Age of Optimism -- a period when Americans were convinced in their hearts that all great things were possible. In the years around 1870, when the project was first undertaken, the concept of building a great bridge to span the East River between the great cities of Manhattan and Brooklyn required a vision and determination comparable to that which went into the building of the pyramids. Throughout the fourteen years of its construction, the odds against the successful completion of the bridge seemed staggering. Bodies were crushed and broken, lives lost, political empires fell, and surges of public emotion constantly threatened the project. But this is not merely the saga of an engineering miracle: it is a sweeping narrative of the social climate of the time and of the heroes and rascals who had a hand in either constructing or obstructing the great enterprise. Amid the flood of praise for the book when it was originally published, Newsday said succinctly "This is the definitive book on the event. Do not wait for a better try: there won't be any." |
Contents
| 9 | |
| 13 | |
PART | 19 |
The Plan | 21 |
Man of Iron | 38 |
The Genuine Language of America | 61 |
Father and Son | 83 |
Brooklyn ΙΟΙ 6 The Proper Person to See | 119 |
PART THREE | 301 |
At the Halfway Mark | 303 |
Spirits of 76 | 317 |
A Perfect Pandemonium | 332 |
Number 8 Birmingham Gauge | 348 |
The Gigantic Spinning Machine | 374 |
Wire Fraud | 394 |
Emily | 411 |
The Chief Engineer | 140 |
PART | 167 |
All According to Plan | 169 |
Down in the Caisson | 190 |
Fire | 209 |
The Past Catches Up | 226 |
How Natural Right and Proper | 246 |
The Mysterious Disorder | 266 |
The Heroic Mode | 286 |
The Man in the Window | 437 |
And Yet the Bridge Is Beautiful | 462 |
The Peoples Day | 482 |
Epilogue | 500 |
Appendix | 519 |
Picture Credits | 565 |
Index | 579 |
Other editions - View all
The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge David McCullough Limited preview - 1982 |
Common terms and phrases
American anchorage appeared began Bridge Company Brooklyn Bridge building built cable caisson called carried charge Chief Engineer Committee completed considered course decided described Eads Eagle East River entire everything fact Farrington father feet ferry finished fire five four half hand happened Heights Henry Hewitt hundred inside interest iron John June Kingsley knew known later less letter light lived looked March matter meeting moved Murphy named nearly never night noted once Page Paine passed plans pressure River Bridge Roebling Roebling's rope seemed seen shaft side Smith standing steel stone Street taken talk things thought thousand told took tower Trenton trustees turned Tweed wanted Washington whole wire wrote York young