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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.
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.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Henry Petroski
38 books265 followersHenry Petroski was an American engineer specializing in failure analysis. A professor both of civil engineering and history at Duke University, he was also a prolific author.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 15, 2020
Some interesting details about some major engineering projects but comes across as somewhat disjointed. The book would have been helped with many more illustrations. I did not enjoy this as much as I did his earlier books - he allowed his own personal biases to come through in many discussions.
Also, his seeming insistence that the Y2K computer problem was a fake makes me question a lot of his other assumptions. I was part of mitigating those problems and I know what could have happened with some systems.
Also, his seeming insistence that the Y2K computer problem was a fake makes me question a lot of his other assumptions. I was part of mitigating those problems and I know what could have happened with some systems.
February 5, 2018
Should have been interesting, but ultimately too random a compilation of articles. Would have benefited from rework to create some coherence in book form.
June 23, 2023
This book certainly was written right after 9/11
December 30, 2012
Not Petroski's most engaging work, but still worth the read if you're a fan of his.
It's actually an anthology of essays he's published in various magazines, so some of the information is quite dated (he started writing them in 1991) and has advanced or been modified since publishing, but that's the nature of science and technology writing.
I prefer his books about engineering theory, as opposed to this collection looking at engineering achievement. It provides a good analysis persuading the reader of the importance of engineers in society; but as an engineer myself I have a good grasp on this concept and didn't need much persuading.
I'd recommend it if you've read Petroski's other works, but I likely won't read it again myself.
It's actually an anthology of essays he's published in various magazines, so some of the information is quite dated (he started writing them in 1991) and has advanced or been modified since publishing, but that's the nature of science and technology writing.
I prefer his books about engineering theory, as opposed to this collection looking at engineering achievement. It provides a good analysis persuading the reader of the importance of engineers in society; but as an engineer myself I have a good grasp on this concept and didn't need much persuading.
I'd recommend it if you've read Petroski's other works, but I likely won't read it again myself.
December 17, 2012
As a reader with little knowledge of engineering, this book was a wonderful introduction to the challenges of construction and what engineers accomplish. Each chapter tells a story of engineering challenges and failures, which makes it easy for a reader to get involved. The first half of the book covers bridges as they are some of the most recognizable civil engineering structures and then moves to skyscrapers, dams and ends with what lays ahead. This is a book that would work for anyone who is curious about how the great structures of the world came into being and what lies ahead.
September 23, 2009
I hadn't realized how unique large bridges were, and how difficult designing and building one is. Read this if you've wondered about that.
The parts on bridges and damns was fascinating and interesting. The chapter about the big damn in China on the Yangtze River was OK. The chapter about 9/11/01 was OK.
He writes better than the average engineer!
The parts on bridges and damns was fascinating and interesting. The chapter about the big damn in China on the Yangtze River was OK. The chapter about 9/11/01 was OK.
He writes better than the average engineer!
April 12, 2012
This collection of essays by the engineer Henry Petroski is ultimately unsatisfying. The overall structure is a mess: a fair number of bridges in Part I, and a miscellany in Part II (some buildings, dams, two engineer bios, and two flights of fancy); it didn't tie together especially well. The material pertinent to individual constructions also suffers from a deficit of illustrations.
January 5, 2014
I was such a fan of Petroski's after THE PENCIL that when I saw this used I picked it up. I love the concision of his writing. This books is sort of a melange, like some of Malcolm Gladwell's stuff. Somehow not as fabulous as THE PENCIL (how's that for concision?...) but still I enjoyed it. Looking forward to checking out some of his others.
August 14, 2016
A collection of his magazine columns. Interesting and browsable, but not particularly deep, and without a real overarching structure.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews