Bridges: From My Side to Yours

Bridge building is given fascinating life in this accessible, wonderfully illustrated study. Ranging from ancient Rome to the present day, from simple log bridges to marvels of industrial technology, and from well-known landmarks to little-known feats of engineering and art, this book gives readers a new appreciation for that most familiar of structures, the bridge.

About the Author :
Jan Adkins is the author and illustrator of "Bridges: From My Side to Yours," called "an excellent survey" by "Booklist" and "an outstanding book for reference and enjoyment" by "The Horn Book." He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

Review :
Booklist Adkins offers an excellent survey of bridge building throughout history in this amply illustrated volume. . . . He draws in readers with exciting stories of discovery about engineers who developed the techniques and principles that allowed new structures to be built and his sharply detailed sketches bring essential parts up close, then pull away for a wide view of the magnificent whole. Like David Macaulay's Building Big, this blends fact and good storytelling in a way that will inspire readers to learn more about the engineering feats that make up the landscape. School Library Journal A picture is truly worth a thousand words when the subjects are trusses, cantilevers, and caissons, and Adkins' firmly rendered black-and-white sketches, diagrams, cross-sections, key maps, and portraits will add immeasurably to readers' understanding of the text. . . Makes a technical subject readily accessible to a wide audience. Bulletin, Center for Children's Books Readers are treated to a cogent crash course in the engineering aspects of design and the relative strengths of available building materials. There's a fair amount of social history as well, in imagining a visit to the original London Bridge and in examining the system of cooperative labor behind Andean rope-suspension bridges. Black-and-white drawings, carefully captioned and labeled to display elements discussed in the text, capture both aesthetic and structural features. . . . Introduce fans of David Macaulay to a new mentor. The Horn Book The author's fascination with his subject is well communicated, and his knowledge of history is as dazzling as his understanding of engineering principles. Adkins's description of London Bridge, for example, is as intriguing as his analysis of the Brooklyn Bridge. Each is presented as a symbol of the era that inspired it, as are the other structures presented in the text. . . . An outstanding book for reference and for enjoyment. Booklist  Adkins offers an excellent survey of bridge building throughout history in this amply illustrated volume. . . . He draws in readers with exciting stories of discovery about engineers who developed the techniques and principles that allowed new structures to be built and his sharply detailed sketches bring essential parts up close, then pull away for a wide view of the magnificent whole. Like David Macaulay's Building Big, this blends fact and good storytelling in a way that will inspire readers to learn more about the engineering feats that make up the landscape.  School Library Journal A picture is truly worth a thousand words when the subjects are trusses, cantilevers, and caissons, and Adkins’ firmly rendered black-and-white sketches, diagrams, cross-sections, key maps, and portraits will add immeasurably to readers’ understanding of the text. . . Makes a technical subject readily accessible to a wide audience.  Bulletin, Center fo