Bridges: Aesthetics and Design Bilingual Edition

The full title is "Bridges: Aesthetics and Design", and a main theme of Fritz Leonhardt's work is the aesthetics and the way in which bridges fit into the landscape. The book itself is pleasing, high-quality printing on glossy paper, with extensive photographs to illustrate the points the author is making. The preliminary chapters, which deal with the author's theories of aesthetics, are possibly the driest part of the book. The bulk of the book, though, deals with various forms of bridge from the earliest to the present day, and the many high-quality views of bridges are a delight. In particular, the high German beam viaducts, with their clean lines and impossibly high slender columns, are spectacular. (This book was published before Millau Viaduct was built, unfortunately).The text is in two columns, German and English, but the fairly small print means there is still plenty of 'meat' in the text. The book was first published in 1982, but is still relevant today. It has the best and by far the most extensive collection of bridge photographs I have seen. One could equally regard the book as a narrative to string together the author's vast collection of photos. (Three omissions: The Forth railway bridge (one would have thought the author would have views on that, one way or the other); Eiffel's Garabit viaduct; and the Swiss bridges of Robert Maillart. But this is only a minor quibble). And the commentary often illuminates why some feature of a bridge looks subtly 'wrong'.I would say it is more for a specialist audience than the general reader, but well worth while for any one with a keen interest in bridges or the aesthetics of the built environment. Though even a casual reader can derive pleasure from leafing through it.

I like the book very much. It,has endured the time and still a favorite book. It is lucky that I can get this book.

Superb book in great condition. Still one of the best books on Bridge Design.