Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-354) and index.

As much a part of the New York skyline as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge is instantly and internationally recognizable. Yet as iconic as it is, its builder, Washington Roebling, is too often forgotten. The Brooklyn Bridge took 14 dramatic years to complete and here the personal story which lies behind that construction is told for the first time. Meticulously researched, and written with revealing archival material only recently uncovered, this is an engaging and illuminating portrait of a brilliant and driven man, and of the era in which he lived.