The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge Compact disc - 2004

First 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."

Details

• Title The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
• Author David McCullough; Read by Edward Herrmann
• Binding Compact Disc
• Edition Abridged
• Pages 9
• Volumes 9
• Language ENG
• Publisher Simon & Schuster Audio
• Date June 14, 2004
• Abridged Yes
• ISBN 9780743537230 / 0743537238
• Weight 0.62 lbs (0.28 kg)
• Dimensions 5.92 x 5.1 x 1.33 in (15.04 x 12.95 x 3.38 cm)
• Themes
  • Chronological Period: 19th Century
  • Cultural Region: Mid-Atlantic
  • Cultural Region: Northeast U.S.
  • Geographic Orientation: New York
  • Locality: New York, N.Y.
• Library of Congress subjects Brooklyn Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
• Library of Congress Catalog Number 2004589014
• Dewey Decimal Code 624.509

"The Great Bridge is a book so compelling and complete as to be a literary monument. . . . McCullough has written that sort of work which brings us to the human center of the past."
âÈ'Los Angeles Times