Brooklyn Bridge

Overview

"It so happens that the work which is likely to be our most durable monument, and to convey some knowledge of us to the most remote posterity, is a work of bare utility; not a shrine, not a fortress, but a bridge."

So wrote one architectural critic of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the grandest and most eloquent monuments to the American spirit that our country has produced. Its magnificent site, breathtaking span, cutting-edge technology, and sheer beauty have made it the subject of poems, paintings, photographs, novels, plays, and movies.

Beneath the Brooklyn Bridge's triumphant arches lie astonishing tales of death, deception, genius, and daring. Over the fourteen-year course of its construction, there were many deaths, including that of John A. Roebling, designer and chief engineer; an underwater fire; and even fraud.

Finally, though, the bridge was finished, and as part of the opening day festivities, the president, and two mayors crossed it.

In this stunning visual history, Lynn Curlee tells the fascinating story of the history and construction of the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665968904
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/01/2025
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Age Range:	7 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lynn Curlee, who received a Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book Award for Brooklyn Bridge, comes from a family of intense sports fans. His other books include Liberty, Ships of the Air, Into the Ice: The Story of Arctic Exploration, Rushmore, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Capital, and, most recently, Parthenon. He lives on the North Fork of Long Island, New York.

Lynn Curlee, who received a Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book Award for Brooklyn Bridge, comes from a family of intense sports fans. His other books include Liberty, Ships of the Air, Into the Ice: The Story of Arctic Exploration, Rushmore, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Capital, and, most recently, Parthenon. He lives on the North Fork of Long Island, New York.

Editorial Reviews

When the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, its stone towers were the most massive structures on the continent, its cables and deck were among the first constructions of a metal called "steel" and its span was the longest of any bridge in the world. It was called a true "eighth Wonder of the World." Curlee brings the same concise text and lively portrayal of the people and problems involved that he used so effectively in Liberty (Atheneum). His unfussy acrylic paintings seem based on archival photographs and have an engineer's love of the precise line and depiction of the inner workings of the project. The genius behind the bridge was John A. Roebling, whose son Washington carried on after Roebling lost his life to a gangrenous foot. The story is not without disasters, deaths and even a final scare when a week after the bridge opened, someone cried that it was falling and the resulting stampede crushed a dozen people. Curlee's eye for detail, his timely diagrams, cross-sections and maps (which come along just as the reader wants them), and the ending pictures of the bridge from several cross-sectioned perspectives show the reader how marvelous this construction was—and is. As one architect pointed out, this bridge is likely to be our most durable monument to posterity and "it is a work of bare utility; not a shrine, not a fortress, not a palace, but a bridge." 2001, Atheneum, $18.00. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Susan Hepler

Children's Literature

Gr 3-6-A wonderful picture book that tells the history behind the bridge and its construction, complete with the engineering facts and the human-interest anecdotes as well. Using full-color illustrations and diagrams, Curlee explains why the bridge was needed, why the engineering behind it was so important and innovative, and what the bridge has meant to those living in New York. The book's most important features include careful diagrams and descriptions showing how construction was conceived and executed. A map shows the bridge's location and a cross-section drawing delineates the caissons, supply shafts, air locks, etc. The narrative opens with New York City after the Civil War, explains the financing and final decision to build the bridge, and describes the roles of John A. Roebling and, later, his son, Washington, as Chief Engineer. A list of the bridge's specifications and a time line are appended. While not as complex as Elizabeth Mann's The Brooklyn Bridge (Mikaya, 1996), this title will appeal to audiences looking for report information and to those looking for an exciting story.-Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal