Do you enjoy watching Modern Marvels on the History Channel? Or perhaps you are just curious about how on Earth people were able to build skyscrapers or suspension bridges. Here are books in our collection that look at various types of building projects, how they’re designed, how they’re constructed, and sometimes how they fail. We’ve organized this list by the type of structure discussed, thus both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge are both under the heading “Bridges.” We have books for both adults and youths. We even started this list with some general books on the topic for those who want a broader approach.
GENERAL
Adult Nonfiction
BUILT TO LAST: BUILDING AMERICA’S AMAZING BRIDGES, DAMS, TUNNELS, AND SKYSCRAPERS by George Sullivan (DB 63396)
DREAMS OF IRON AND STEEL: SEVEN WONDERS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, FROM THE BUILDING OF THE LONDON SEWERS TO THE PANAMA CANAL by Deborah Cadbury (DB 58527)
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION by D. I. Blockley (DB 87145)
Juvenile Nonfiction
AMAZING LANDMARKS: DISCOVER THE HIDDEN STORIES BEHIND 10 ICONIC STRUCTURES! by Rekha S. Rajan (DB 110708) Grades 3-6
ART OF CONSTRUCTION: PROJECTS AND PRINCIPLES FOR BEGINNING ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS by Mario Salvadori (DBC 00291) Grades 4-7
CONSTRUCTION: BUILDING THE IMPOSSIBLE by Nathan Aaseng (DB 52503) Grades 5-8
ENGINEERING THAT MADE AMERICA. BOOKS 1-8 (DB 88666) Grades 3-6
ENGINEERING WONDERS by Katie Marsico (DB 84321) Grades 3-6
GREAT ENGINEERING SERIES. BOOKS 1-6 by Rebecca Stepoff (DB 83739) Grades 3-6
BRIDGES
Adult Nonfiction
GOLDEN GATE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AMERICA’S GREATEST BRIDGE by Kevin Starr (DB 71731, BR 19130)
GREAT BRIDGE: THE EPIC STORY OF THE BUILDING OF THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE by David G. McCullough (DB 58715)
Juvenile Nonfiction
BRIDGES: FROM MY SIDE TO YOURS by Jan Adkins (DB 56337) Grades 5-8
BROOKLYN BRIDGE by Lynn Curlee (BR 14028) Grades 3-6
HOW EMILY SAVED THE BRIDGE: THE STORY OF EMILY WARREN ROEBLING AND THE BUILDING OF THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE by Frieda Wishinsky (DB 96565) Grades Kindergarten-3
SCIENCE OF A BRIDGE COLLAPSE by Nikole Brooks Bethea (DB 80822, BR 20693) Grades 3-6
CANALS
Adult Nonfiction
PANAMA FEVER: THE EPIC STORY OF ONE OF THE GREATEST HUMAN ACHIEVEMENTS OF ALL TIME – THE BUILDING OF THE PANAMA CANAL by Matthew Parker (DB 66585)
PARTING THE DESERT: THE CREATION OF THE SUEZ CANAL by Zachary Karabell (DB 58748)
Juvenile Nonfiction
PANAMA CANAL: GATEWAY TO THE WORLD by Judith St. George (DB 31445) Grades 6-9
DAMS
Adult Nonfiction
COLOSSUS: HOOVER DAM AND THE MAKING OF THE AMERICAN CENTURY by Michael A. Hiltzik (DB 72792)
SKYSCRAPERS
Adult Nonfiction
AMERICAN GROUND: UNBUILDING THE WORLD TRADE CENTER by William Langewiesche (BR 14746)
DIVIDED WE STAND: A BIOGRAPHY OF NEW YORK’S WORLD TRADE CENTER by Eric Darton (DB 54587)
NEAREST THING TO HEAVEN: THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING AND AMERICAN DREAMS by Mark Kingwell (DB 67062)
SKYSCRAPER by Karl Sabbagh (DB 32438)
TWIN TOWERS: THE LIFE OF NEW YORK CITY’S WORLD TRADE CENTER by Angus K. Gillespie (DB 53309)
Juvenile Nonfiction
SKYSCRAPERS by Chris Bowman (LB 10876) Grades Kindergarten – 3
SUBWAYS
Adult Nonfiction
LABYRINTHS OF IRON: A HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S SUBWAYS by Benson Bobrick (DB 19093)
Juvenile Nonfiction
BENEATH THE STREETS OF BOSTON: BUILDING AMERICA’S FIRST SUBWAY by Joe McKendry (DBC 03962) Grades 5-8
TUNNELS
Adult Nonfiction
CHUNNEL: THE AMAZING STORY OF THE UNDERSEA CROSSING OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL by Drew Fetherston (DB 46246)
