The Great Bridge

The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

By: David McCullough

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

First published in 1972, The Great Bridge is the classic account of one of the greatest engineering feats of all time: the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.

This monumental audiobook, which presents extended unabridged passages from the book, brings back a heroic vision of the America we once had. It is the enthralling story of one of the greatest events during the Age of Optimism, a period when Americans were convinced that all great things were possible.

In the years around 1870, the concept of building a great bridge to span the East River between the cities of Manhattan and Brooklyn required a vision and determination comparable to that which went into the building of the pyramids. Throughout the fourteen years of the bridge's construction, the odds against its successful completion seemed staggering. Bodies were crushed and broken, lives were 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 heroes and rascals who had a hand in either constructing or obstructing this great enterprise.

©1972 David McCullough (P)2004 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The Great Bridge is a book so compelling and complete as to be a literary monument....McCullough has written that sort of work which brings us to the human center of the past." (Los Angeles Times)

Great Book - Abridged POORLY

I would read and/or listen to anything David McCullough wrote - and I have. Edward Herrmann
is one of the best narrators.
Why did Audible do such a poor job of abridging this fine work? It goes along for a while and then
is chopped up and reworded and has a change of narrator.
I'll just go back to reading the "Real" book. The Audible edition is very disappointing.

A must for any architect or engineet

An absolutely monumental and spanning history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. A wonderful text for any student of architecture, engineering or the postbellum United States.

REAL History

AS someone born in Brooklyn, long after the bridge was finished - the history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge was riveting!

A great story of heroic perseverance.

Absolutely one of MacCullough's best. I really was amazed by the account of the great caissons.

Outstanding book!

Anyone interested in 19th century American history, leadership themes or the development of technology should listen to this book. It's brilliant. McCullogh is amazing in his ability to put the reader in a place in the past.

Extremely enjoyable

Fascinating book about the engineering that went into the bridge and also the history of the time it was built. Wonderful narration

Magnificent

This wonderful author has been my companion for years and years. A truly masterful work.

Typical McCullough

A good author can make the most boring story exciting. McCullough is a great author and the actual story of the bridge is not very interesting. That said, this is an interesting read because McCullough can fit the story into the times and into the people who built the bridge. The only reason I did not give this a 5 rating is because the book fails to explain the interesting technical details of bridge building. For example, in House, when the author talks about nails, he does a interesting technical history of nails, but here, when McCullough talks about wire, there is NO historical perspective, nor is there any about the engineering that goes into the bridge. Remember, this was at a time there was no computers or other mechanical aids to make bridges. That aside, the book is worth the read

Fascinating History

A wonderfully entertaining and fascinating insight into the major characters of the America of the 1800 both before and after the Civil War. The almost impossibly strong-willed father and son who designed and built the great Brooklyn Bridge, the overwhelming graft and corruption that was the Democrat Party of New York and Tammany Hall, the technical issues and problems overcome in producing one of the great monuments of American technology and architecture - all of these are drawn in a wonderful tale.

The men and women who were involved in the great project come alive in the narrative. This is a very engrossing tale that immediately catches your imagination by clearly outlining the project, the issues, the technology, and the intriguing politics of the time. There were many things that I learned from this wonderful book.

The narration is very entertainingly done and in all ways this is an outstanding example of history, of story-telling, and of a wonderful audiobook. Highly recommended for anyone - not just history buffs.

best narrator

Edward Herrmann is the best narrator that I've listened to on Audible my only wish is that he would do more titles