The Best Bridge Photography Books of All Time

At the time of its construction, the Forth Bridge was the largest bridge in the world, and to this day it remains a breathtaking monument to the vision and confidence of the Victorian age which created it. For seven years, thousands of men from all over Europe worked beneath the waters of the Forth and hundreds of feet in the sky on what was widely regarded as the eighth wonder of the modern world. Sheila Mackay vividly recounts the story of the bridge from its inception to the opening ceremony in 1890.

Featuring more than a hundred archive photographs which detail every stage of the project, this book is a magnificent celebration of one of humankind’s most impressive engineering achievements.

New York City boasts more spectacular bridges than any other city in the world. From the Gothic stone arches and gossamer steel webbing of the Brooklyn Bridge (perhaps the greatest engineering achievement of the 19th century), to the Verrazano-Narrows — the world's longest suspension bridge when completed in 1964 — more than 75 bridges span the city's waterways. This book is a stirring text-and-picture tribute to these awe-inspiring structures.

Beginning with Dutch New Amsterdam and continuing to the modern era and the achievements of legendary bridge builder Robert Moses, The Bridges of New York covers nearly 300 years of New York history and a century of accomplishments in modern engineering. At the time of construction, many of the bridges were considered breakthroughs in bridge-building technology. Grouped according to geography and economics — two prime considerations facing bridge engineers — the spans are described in a highly readable text that explains the design principles of cantilever, swing, bascule, and many other bridge types. Over 150 archival engravings and contemporary photographs document the splendor of such remarkable bridges as the Brooklyn, George Washington, Bronx-Whitestone, Manhattan, Queensboro, Triborough, and dozens of smaller spans. A section on bridge maintenance, a glossary, and charts noting each bridge's location, length, height, and other features complete this pictorial treasury — sure to delight engineering and architecture enthusiasts as well as anyone who has ever been astonished by the extraordinary scale and grandeur of New York's bridges.

Already we're expecting something special. And that's exactly what Gary Zuercher gives us in this gorgeous collection of photographs. Over a period of five years, he took his cameras out into the Parisian night to capture stunningly evocative images of the bridges that span the Seine. Using his artistic eye and sophisticated photographic technique, he created these glorious black-and-white photographs, rich with detail and possessing a clear, luminous, quality. This collection is unique, and remarkable. No one else has ever photographed all the bridges that cross the Seine in Paris in this way.

We don't see crowds of people, or heavy traffic. Nothing obscures the beauty and strength of the structures, the romance and symbolism of the bridges. Shooting in black and white allows the details to shine: the architectural elements, artwork, nearby buildings, trees on the riverbanks, and starry lamps casting paths of light across the water.