Dan Cruickshank's Bridges : Heroic Designs That Changed the World

Dan Cruickshank's personal, passionate and learned journey into the very awe-inspiring architectural icons which have transformed culture, society, industry and landscapes throughout the world -- bridges. Bridges define places. Imagine San Francisco without the Golden Gate Bridge, Manhattan without the Brooklyn Bridge, or Sydney without Sydney Harbour Bridge. Not only this, but they are spectacles of engineering, and have influenced the development of cultures, economies, environments and lives in more ways than we can count. Now, Dan Cruickshank looks at what bridges mean to us, and draws on some of his personal favourites from all over the world to tell the story of their architectural, cultural and aesthetic influence. Chapters include: EMPIRE -- Bridges from the Roman and ancient world NATURE AGAINST NATURE -Timber bridges REVOLUTION -- Pioneering structural designs from North America and Europe UNITING PEOPLE -- Bringing nations, cities, and communities together VISIONS -- Contemporary structures

Leading expert on architecture and historic buildings and BBC presenter, best known for Around The World In 80 Treasures and Adventures In Architecture. He has travelled extensively, and is an Honorary Fellow of RIBA with a BA in Art, Design and Architecture. He is currently filming a new BBC documentary celebrating 250 years of Kew Gardens.