Genre: History
Length: 636 pages
Audiobook Length: 27 hours and 24 minutes
First Published: 1972
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Publisher’s Description
The dramatic and enthralling story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world’s longest suspension bridge at the time, a tale of greed, corruption, and obstruction but also of optimism, heroism, and determination, told by master historian David McCullough.
This monumental book 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 things were possible.
In the years around 1870, when the project was first undertaken, the concept of building an unprecedented 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 great cathedrals. 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 exploiting the surpassing enterprise.
About David McCullough
David McCullough is an American historian, author, and narrator. His books Truman and John Adams each won Pulitzer Prizes. His other popular books include 1776, The Johnstown Flood, The Wright Brothers, The Pioneers, and The Great Bridge. He is also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.