The Great Bridge
by David McCullough · first published 1972
73% recommend27% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Detailed narrative of building the Brooklyn Bridge, covering both the hard engineering problems, such as caisson disease, and the political intrigue behind the project; suits readers who enjoy engineering history.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Built to join the rapidly expanding cities of New York and Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Bridge was thought by many at the start to be an impossibility destined to fail if not from insurmountable technical problems then from political corruption. (It was the heyday of Boss Tweed in New York.) But the Brooklyn Bridge was at once the greatest engineering triumph of the age, a surpassing work of art, a proud American icon, and a story like no other in our history. Courage, chicanery, unprecedented ingenuity and plain blundering, heroes, rascals, all the best and worst in human nature played a part. At
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2014–2026The Path Between the Seas
David McCullough
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 1313 recommend · 13 mention13 recommend · 1313 recommend
2012–2026Apollo
Charles A. Murray
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 118 recommend · 11 mention8 recommend · 118 recommend
2019–2026The Perfectionists
Simon Winchester
Recommended by 24 · mentioned by 2924 recommend · 29 mention24 recommend · 2924 recommend
2008–2025Longitude
Dava Sobel, William J. H. Andrewes, Irene Aldasoro Katarain
Recommended by 41 · mentioned by 4941 recommend · 49 mention41 recommend · 4941 recommend
2012–2026Mastery
Robert Greene
Recommended by 50 · mentioned by 6250 recommend · 62 mention50 recommend · 6250 recommend
2010–2026The Box
Marc Levinson
Recommended by 53 · mentioned by 6353 recommend · 63 mention53 recommend · 6353 recommend
2014–2026The Innovators
Walter Isaacson, Francisco José Ramos Mena, Marcos Pérez Sánchez, Inga Pellisa Díaz
Recommended by 55 · mentioned by 7355 recommend · 73 mention55 recommend · 7355 recommend
2007–2026Dealers of Lightning
Michael A. Hiltzik
Recommended by 74 · mentioned by 9674 recommend · 96 mention74 recommend · 9674 recommend
…Does HN have anything of that kind to recommend? Other books I've found so far: - Skunk Works by Ben E. Rich & Leo Janos - The Box by Marc Levinson - Apollo by Charles A Murray & Catherine Bly Cox - The Great Bridge also by David McCullough
on “Ask HN: Biographies of Companies or Things?” ↗There is a book The Great Bridge[1] that is a detailed history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and Roebling. When I read it, they were describing the problem of "caisson disease", and I was literally screaming "They have the…
on “The Inspirational Story of the Brooklyn Bridge” ↗For those interested in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, the book The Great Bridge[1] tells a very interesting story of both the difficult engineering problems and the political intrigue of those times. [1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/067145711X
on “The Lost History of the ‘City’ of Brooklyn” ↗Read this a few years back.. highly recommended The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough https://www.amazon.com/Great-Bridge-Story-Building-Brooklyn/...
on “Why Bridges Don't Sink” ↗The Last Viking - a biography of explorer Roald Amundsen The Wager- a book about a ship by the same name which wrecked in the Drake Passage. Eccentric Orbits - about the Iridium constellation. The Great Bridge by David McCullough - goes into a pretty good amount of detail in the engineering and sub-problems of construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.
on “Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things” ↗…West with the Night by Beryl Markham 95. The Age of Uncertainty by Tobias Hürter 96. American Steel by Richard Preston 97. Showstopper by G. Pascal Zachary 98. Eccentric Orbits by John Bloom 99. The Great Bridge by David McCullough 100. Loonshots by Safi Bahcall 101. The Art of Doing Science and Engineering by Richard Hamming 102. Where Wizards Stay Up Late by Katie Hafner 103. The Evening Star by Henry S.…
on “Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things” ↗It's such a good book! Like any dad reading history, I have been annoying my family for years with fun facts I learned in that book. David McCullough's other books like The Great Bridge (about building the Brooklyn Bridge) are also great.
on “New method turns ocean water into drinking water, without waste” ↗The Great Bridge is a phenomenal engineering story (and so much more). The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich was chilling but I'd read it again. Simply fascinating, written by a western reporter who was actually there.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗…the nuts and bolts. Thing is, that's because he had to. There were no standard fasteners. (The book doesn't detail this, it's just a passing reference I happened to catch.) David McCullough's The Great Bridge: https://www.worldcat.org/title/great-bridge-the-epic-story-o... Herbert Hoover, as US Secretary of Commerce, instituted the National Bureau of Standards (now the NTIS, I think), which among other things…
on “Hey Ho, GIFs Must Go (1999)” ↗…understanding of matters. Engineering education in the 19th century was a crucible; only the best and brightest successfully graduated. The following excerpts are from a blog entry[0] on the book The Great Bridge. In three years’ time he had also to master nearly a hundred different courses, including, among others, Analytical Geometry of Three Dimensions, … Calculus of Variations, Qualitative and Quantitative…
on “Uncomfortable Truths in Software Engineering” ↗…libraries have a selection of their content on the internet now, but usually this is behind a login, and it certainly isn't comprehensive. [2] recent example: I've been working through McCullough's "The Great Bridge", and there are frequent occasions when I want to find out more information or see diagrams of what he's describing. The internet is, nearly always, completely useless for this. Tons of content on the…
on “AI Will Upend a Basic Assumption About How Companies Are Organized” ↗