{"product_id":"american-bridge-isbn-9780262552110","title":"American Bridge","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhy a world-transforming invention remained an untold story—until now.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow did builders shift from the erection of one structure at a time to the mass construction of hundreds of thousands? \u003ci\u003eAmerican Bridge\u003c\/i\u003e explores a radical reimagining, a new way of building that introduced uniformity and modularity on a global scale while enabling the connectivity essential to the rise of the nation-state. With tales of bygone infrastructure and astonishing images, Gregory Dreicer spans a deep gap in history. He tracks the transnational creative flows that propelled the development of beam, truss, and skeleton frame as industrial essentials, shaped by classical, capitalist, techno-utopian beliefs that still animate engineering and architecture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvolutionism and nationalism for two centuries have dictated how innovators, their chroniclers, and all of us view materials, structures, and each other. These perspectives determine what we celebrate and who we forget. Dreicer instead prioritizes bridges over borders and evidence over myth. As a result, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Bridge\u003c\/i\u003e restores lumber’s role as seminal industrial product. It recognizes the contributions of enslaved Black people at a transformational technological moment. It portrays designers, workers, and managers devising methods of launching long bridges and assembling the tallest of towers. And it invites you to consider the ever-changing meanings of “America.”Contents\u003cbr\u003ePreface\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction: Making History\u003cbr\u003e1 Fabricating Materials\u003cbr\u003e2 Assembling the Parts, 1560–1820\u003cbr\u003e3 Building Future States, 1820–1840\u003cbr\u003e4 Transforming Structures, 1820–1860\u003cbr\u003e5 Reinventing Building, 1818–1870\u003cbr\u003e6 Engineering Nations, 1840–1860\u003cbr\u003e7 Global Positioning, 1820–1907\u003cbr\u003e8 Getting High, 1840–1889\u003cbr\u003eAfterword: Restoring the Story\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003cb\u003eENDORSEMENTS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A landmark contribution to the history of technology—Dreicer exposes the ideological scaffolding behind one of America’s most iconic engineering structures. A masterful achievement.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Joanna Merwood-Salisbury, author of \u003ci\u003eChicago 1890: The Skyscraper and the Modern City\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Complex yet eminently readable, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Bridge\u003c\/i\u003e challenges the reader to see infrastructure as essential to the narratives and imaginaries of the modern world.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Mark Jarzombek, author of \u003ci\u003eA Global History of Architecture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Challenging the concept of evolutionism in the history of construction, Dreicer’s in-depth study of the lattice bridge proposes a new approach based on innovation, entangling politics, and storytelling.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Bertrand Lemoine, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Eiffel Tower\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dreicer’s engrossing study of the lattice truss bridge makes a nuanced and original contribution to the history of technology.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—John Ochsendorf, Professor of Engineering and Architecture, MIT\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The publication of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Bridge\u003c\/i\u003e can be described as a \u003ci\u003eSternstunde\u003c\/i\u003e: a great moment in the history of construction.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Karl-Eugen Kurrer, author of \u003ci\u003eThe History of the Theory of Structures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eGregory Dreicer is a historian, curator, and experience designer whose transdisciplinary explorations and public engagement offerings include\u003ci\u003e Between Fences, Me, Myself and Infrastructure\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eUnbelievable\u003c\/i\u003e. He has worked with the Museum of Vancouver, Chicago Architecture Foundation, and Museum of the City of New York.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48232921432293,"sku":"NP9780262552110","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262552110.jpg?v=1767721409","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/american-bridge-isbn-9780262552110","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}