New book releases
Sunday, May 11, 2008
This spring has seen the publication of some bridge-related books:
- A Bridge Worth Saving: A Community Guide to Historic Bridge Preservation
gives step-by-step instructions for preserving truss bridges. I'm looking forward
to reading this one.
- Wood, Concrete, Stone, and Steel: Minnesota's Historic Bridges
is a timely guide to bridges in Minnesota.
- Historic Bridges: Evaluation, Preservation, and Management
is a serious tome about historic bridge preservation. The price tag on this book puts
it out of my league, but it might be worthwhile for professional engineers and historians.
- A Missouri Railroad Pioneer: The Life of Louis Houck isn't about bridges, but it does chronicle the life of an "accidental" railroad tycoon from Southeast Missouri. Louis Houck didn't know much about engineering, and it showed. His railroad lines and bridges were quite low budget and primitive, becoming the butt of many jokes. But he got the job done and had a profound impact on regional history.