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The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways
by Earl Swift (Author) Format: Kindle Edition★★★★★
★★★★★
4.3|688 ratings
In Stock
What customers say
Customers find the book engaging and well-researched, with one review noting it provides detailed roadside Americana information. Moreover, the writing style is easy to read, and customers appreciate its entertainment value, with one review highlighting its engaging conversational tone. Additionally, the book's design receives positive feedback, with one customer describing how it effectively paints the big picture. However, the map size receives mixed reactions, with several customers noting there are too few maps included.
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Discover the twists and turns of one of America’s great infrastructure projects with this “engrossing history of the creation of the U.S. interstate system” (Los Angeles Times). It’s become a part of the landscape that we take for granted, the site of rumbling eighteen-wheelers and roadside rest stops, a familiar route for commuters and vacationing families. But during the twentieth century, the interstate highway system dramatically changed the face of our nation. These interconnected roads—over 47,000 miles of them—are man-made wonders, economic pipelines, agents of sprawl, uniquely American symbols of escape and freedom, and an unrivaled public works accomplishment. Though officially named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, this network of roadways has origins that reach all the way back to the World War I era, and The Big Roads—“the first thorough history of the expressway system” (The Washington Post)—tells the full story of how they came to be. From the speed demon who inspired a primitive web of dirt auto trails to the largely forgotten technocrats who planned the system years before Ike reached the White House to the city dwellers who resisted the concrete juggernaut when it bore down on their neighborhoods, this book reveals both the massive scale of this government engineering project, and the individual lives that have been transformed by it. A fast-paced history filled with fascinating detours, “the book is a road geek’s treasure—and everyone who travels the highways ought to know these stories” (Kirkus Reviews). Read more
Product Information
ASIN | B004X7TM14 |
Publisher | Mariner Books |
Accessibility | Learn more |
Publication date | June 9, 2011 |
Edition | Reprint |
Language | English |
File size | 7.8 MB |
Screen Reader | Supported |
Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
X-Ray | Not Enabled |
Word Wise | Enabled |
Print length | 401 pages |
ISBN-13 | 978-0547549132 |
Page Flip | Enabled |
Best Sellers Rank | #133,336 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #40 in History of Technology #62 in Transportation (Kindle Store) #66 in General Technology & Reference |
Customer Reviews | 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 688 ratings |