Bridge Books

Written by historian Richard S. Hobbs Ph.D., Catastrophe to Triumph: Bridges of the Tacoma Narrows is a fascinating examination of the true story behind the Tacoma Narrows Bridge fiasco. In 1940, just 129 days after its creation, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge literally fell apart. Yet the flaws in its workmanship were apparent well before its spontaneous destruction - its undulations were so readily visible that it earned the nickname "Galloping Gertie". Catastrophe to Triumph reveals the inside story of government agencies that hired a New York firm to revise the original plans, who knew about the immediate danger, and why too little was done too late to prevent the bridge's final doom. Catastrophe to Triumph also recounts how a second bridge built on part of the original substructure succeeded while the first one failed. Written to be accessible to lay readers as well as engineers, and filled cover to cover with vintage black-and-white photographs, Catastrophe to Triumph is a gem of American monument and engineering history.

This book is excellent, and I use a friend's copy to teach songs, actions and movements to grades Kinder to Grade three. An excellent resource and full of short, sharp songs, some familiar and some you will not have heard of perhaps.Over 200 pages, and linked to the solfa scale, structures of songs and cativity suggestions. Very good book for music teachers, as I am.

Stewart Conn is absolutely amazing. His imagery leaves the reader with a lingering feeling of connection with everything that is presented. Conn presents us with a clear picture of life in Scotland, and gives us a mental tour of the places he has been and the experiences he has had. His poems are incredible! I highly reccommend this book and other books by him.

The photography in this book is outstanding and details the residents of this historic city and the variety of lifestyles they choose to live. For example, the photographer has chosen to feature a young man running the James River Rapids. Kudos to the editors for choosing to highlight the fact that whitewater boating is not just sport for heterosexuals. Open boating gay guys like it too.

Anyone who is confused about change and how to deal with change should consider reading this book. It is packed with clear, easy to follow explanations of the cycles a person goes through when experiencing change (such as job loss), and how they can get back on track.

Great read

The previous four volumes of Anand's highly literate and absorbing "Bridges Over Time" series traced the Whitmead family of Surrey, England, from before the Magna Carta to the early 1700s. The fifth, The Cherished Wives, picks up the Whitmeads in the late 1700s, as George Whitmead, a wealthy merchant with the East India Company, returns from India to England to choose a suitable bride.

George may be young but he has decided ideas about wifely deportment and his interval at home stretches as one young woman after another proves too talkative, too opinionated, too forward, too independent. Then his eye falls on Lucy-Anne, 17, shy, quiet, inexperienced and protected.

Even before the wedding Lucy-Anne understands that the sun shines on George exclusively and that her own orbit will be of his choosing. But at her wedding her great aunt Henrietta bestows an unusual blessing: "I wish you well, my dear, and I wish you power and freedom too; more of them than I have ever had."

Her words ring in Lucy-Anne's mind over the years, most often ironically, for power and freedom were not part of her marriage bargain. Lucy-Anne traded away any chance at either in return for the security she gains from being George's wife and mistress of his Surrey Estate.

But it's a hard bargain. George, disappointed in an heir, returns disgruntled to his beloved India, leaving his wife in the care of his mother, both cocooned in respectable seclusion on his estate. But old Mrs. Whitmead soon dies in a most protracted and hideous manner and Lucy-Anne is left to cope on her own. A particularly blistering and insensitive letter from George destroys the last of her regard but Lucy-Anne struggles to run the estate and live according to his proscriptions while carving out a niche for herself.

Since anything she does is likely to annoy George, deception becomes a way of life and repressed emotions smolder, needing only the slightest spark to shatter her artificial and lonely life. That spark is, of course, supplied. But this is no passionate bodice-ripper, no tale of triumph for the headstrong heroine. Quite the opposite. Passion turns to ashes when doused with the cold water of reality and every small gesture of assertiveness on Lucy-Anne's part is beaten back tenfold.

Anand's compassionate but unsentimental eye creates a vivid world in which the characters are wholly of their time. Her prose is colorful and evocative, her characters, especially the women, completely human, and the richness of historical detail forms the textural background inseparable from the story itself. Those who have not read Anand before will find themselves turning with pleasure to her earlier works.

This is a great source of information about how Dianetics can help you become better parents and your children more sane. It makes a wonderful gift for expecting Moms who want to do what is best for their new arrivals.

This is a wonderful narrative of a childhood spent in Trinidad. There were so many similarities between my experiences and those of Ms. Bridges though our respective childhoods occured decades apart. It was beautiful and lyric and poignant and funny. Most memorable was the description of the toddler Yseult's memories of childhood flight and the reaction of her horrified nanny. I certainly wish that this book was still readily available. I'd love to read it again.

A moving story that will bring tears to your eyes. Thought provoking look behind the scenes of earlier years, relationships w/people, Christianity and God. A good read aloud that is as good for the reader as the listener. If you like this book, try also The Basket of Flowers, and check-out the entire Lamplighter series of old Christian classics.

I sat in the bookstore for hours, poring over books on dog training, puppy training and gun dog training. I just happened to see this little book tucked among the larger ones. I thought it had an interesting title and paged through it. Great! I figured, since it cost less than $10, I would buy it and see what it said.

WOW! I have read tens of books on dog training, and this book contained the most useful information. Every other book tells about obedience training, blah, blah, blah. This book tells how to LIVE WITH YOUR DOG. Do not pass this up.