Pushing the Limits: New Adventures in Engineering

Pushing the Limits: New Adventures in Engineering
by Henry Petroski

Pushing the Limits: New Adventures in Engineering
List Price: $25.00
Our Price: $5.95
You Save: $19.05 (76%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Henry Petroski
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-09-21
ISBN: 1400040515
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Knopf

Summary of Pushing the Limits: New Adventures in Engineering

In the ever increasing push for longer bridges, taller buildings, bigger stadiums, and grander projects of all kinds, engineers face new challenges that redefine our sense of both aesthetics and functionality. Pushing the Limits describes two dozen adventures in engineering that provide a fresh look at the past, a unique view of the present, and a telling glimpse into the future of the discipline and how it affects our lives.

Henry Petroski tells the stories of significant and daring enterprises?some familiar, some virtually unknown, and some that are still only dreams?in their historical and technological contexts. Among the achievements are Philadelphia?s landmark Benjamin Franklin Bridge, London?s incomparable Tower Bridge, and China?s ambitious Three Gorges Dam project. But pushing the limits of technology does not come without risk. Petroski also chronicles great technological disasters, such as the 1928 failure of California?s St. Francis Dam, the 1999 tragedy of the Texas A&M Bonfire, and the September 11, 2001, collapse of New York?s World Trade Center towers. He deals with other calamities as well, such as the 1994 earthquake that struck Southern California and the embarrassingly wobbly Millennium Bridge in London, which had to be shut down only three days after it opened.

The breadth and depth of Petroski?s erudition and his passionate interest in the art of design and in building have earned him the title of America?s poet laureate of technology, and his exploration of the complexity of what goes into design continues to stretch the imagination.

Transportation Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Transportation Books
The Lighthouse Stevensons: The Extraordinary Story of the Building of the Scottish Lighthouses by the Ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson ImageThe Lighthouse Stevensons: The Extraordinary Story of the Building of the Scottish Lighthouses by the Ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson
by Bella Bathurst
Harper Perennial; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.64
Europe by Train: The Complete Guide to Inter Railing ImageEurope by Train: The Complete Guide to Inter Railing
by Katie Wood, George McDonald
Fontana Press; Published: 1991-12-05; Paperback; Book
Beken Of Cowes The America's Cup - 1851 To The Present ImageBeken Of Cowes The America's Cup - 1851 To The Present
by Olin Introduction by Stephens
Harper-collins Publishers; Published: 1990; Hardcover; Book
Safeguard of the Sea: a Naval History of Britain Hb Vol 1 (v. 1) ImageSafeguard of the Sea: a Naval History of Britain Hb Vol 1 (v. 1)
by Nicholas A M Rodger
Harpercollins; Published: 1997-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Book of Australian Railway Jrn ImageBook of Australian Railway Jrn
by John Cook
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd; Published: 1985-05-22; Hardcover; Book
Captain Cook's World: Maps of the Life and Voyages of James Cook R. N. ImageCaptain Cook's World: Maps of the Life and Voyages of James Cook R. N.
by John Robson
Univ of Washington Press; Published: 2000; Hardcover; Book
Introduction to Flight (McGraw-Hill Series in Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering) ImageIntroduction to Flight (McGraw-Hill Series in Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering)
by John D. Anderson
McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; Published: 2004-03-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $74.00
The Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual ImageThe Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual
by Allan H. Viatses, Allan H. Vaitses
International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; Published: 1988-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops: $29.95
Alive ImageAlive
by Piers Paul Read
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-07-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.56
Price in other shops: $13.99
The Bounty - The True Story Of The Mutiny On The Bounty ImageThe Bounty - The True Story Of The Mutiny On The Bounty
by Caroline Alexander
Penguin; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
Engineers Of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America ImageEngineers Of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America
by Henry Petroski
Knopf; Published: 1995-10-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops: $30.00
Remaking the World: Adventures in Engineering ImageRemaking the World: Adventures in Engineering
by Henry Petroski
Knopf; Published: 1997-12-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.94
Price in other shops: $24.00
Why Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture ImageWhy Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture
by Mario Salvadori
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2002-02-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.50
Price in other shops: $17.95
The Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems ImageThe Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems
by Henry Petroski
Knopf; Published: 2010-02-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.44
Price in other shops: $26.95
Invention by Design: How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing ImageInvention by Design: How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing
by Henry Petroski
Harvard University Press; Published: 1996-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $27.50
Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design ImageSmall Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design
by Henry Petroski
Knopf; Published: 2003-09-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.25
Price in other shops: $25.00
The Book on the Bookshelf ImageThe Book on the Bookshelf
by Henry Petroski
Knopf; Published: 1999-09-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops: $26.00
Success through Failure: The Paradox of Design ImageSuccess through Failure: The Paradox of Design
by Henry Petroski
Princeton University Press; Published: 2006-02-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops: $24.95
Remaking the World: Adventures in Engineering ImageRemaking the World: Adventures in Engineering
by Henry Petroski
Vintage; Published: 1998-12-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops: $14.95