Bridges

This book is a stunningly illustrated compendium of notable bridges, their purpose and the craft behind creating them which would be great for topic support or leisure browsing.

It begins by exploring the function of bridges and the types of bridges that exist around the world. There’s a particularly enjoyable multiple-choice-build-your-own-bridge section that almost has a choose-your-own-adventure quality to it. This section would be particularly useful for study but also potentially could be used as a creative writing prompt.

From there it moves onto explore existing bridges from around the world ranging from famous bridges like Tower Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge to dangerous bridges like the Hussaini Hanging Bridge and moveable bridges like the Gateshead Millenium Bridge.

There’s a section too on the history of bridges through the ages and the evolution of their architecture. This section is livened up by comic book-esque spreads explaining the stories of historical bridges or their creators.

The penultimate section details the technology behind building bridges which talks the reader through the process of designing and creating a successful and stable bridge, before moving on to look at famous bridgebuilders and ending with bridges in contemporary and popular culture. Who knew you could write so much about bridges?  Other books on bridges need not apply!

It would be an ideal text to compliment the study of inventions, technology and design for those who want something bright, colourful and packed full of detail. The illustrations are attractive and the sheer amount of detail and information will keep readers busy for hours on end. One final note – throughout there are some fill in pages which would limit its classroom or library use- but it does make it a more interactive read compared to some books on this topic.