How to Read Bridges: A Crash Course In Engineering and Architecture Paperback – February 21, 2012

I teach architecture and this is a nice reference book for the students to thumb through. The seller mailed it immediately!

accurate & prompt

Love it, wearing the Cover of the Book.

Interesting but small book. There are diagrams and photos of many bridges from many parts of the world, including China, Australia, Europe and US. There is attention for the principles involved, the builders, the disasters, the future and the past. The photos are in colour and generally sunny. This is a small book: 6.5" by 5.5", and thoroughly enjoyable.

Great intro to bridges!

I'm not an engineer or architect, but I live in San Francisco and my extended family live in New York City, both cities where bridges are a part of daily life as well as civic identity and pride. I loved this book! It's definitely set up for browsing, and it's obviously aimed at a lay reader.The first part of the book discusses the basic categories of bridges, explaining how they span and support. The second part offers succinct case studies of specific bridges around the world, arranged by type of bridge (suspension, trestle, etc.). It uses photographs to convey grandeur and smaller diagrams to explain engineering concepts.As someone who struggled in physics class, I appreciated the simple breakdown of engineering terms and the basic discussions of force and form. Yeah it's a little repetitive, but if anything, this helps reinforce how very basic structural concepts have been reinterpreted through the ages, around the world. I think it'd be great to give as a gift to someone who travels a lot, as it's an interesting way to understand the geography and aesthetic of a specific city.The previous reviewer who gave this book only one star is unreasonably harsh and is using entirely unhelpful criteria. More importantly, he's conveying an inaccurate impression of the book. I bought this book along with "How to Read Buildings" and thought this one much, much more global in feel, with abundant examples from ancient and modern Asia along with Latin American countries. The building book was virtually all European in its history and examples.In short, a small and friendly book that's a great introduction to how important bridges are, how challenging they're to design and build, and how beautiful these workhorses can be.

Bought this book for my friend as a fun little gag gift because we have this weird thing about bridges. He loves it! He reads our friend group facts about bridges all the time!

A good book for the laymen to learn the basics of bridges. Profusely illustrated with examples from all over the world as well as the entire history of bridge building. Nice size to take with you, and info is current. If you are a bridge buff this book is for you.