30 Bridges. (Books: Bridging Insights).

By Matthew Wells. London: Laurence King. 2002. [pounds sterling]35

No book, of course, could be definitive on bridges; there are already many examples 961 a including the justifiably famous one by Fritz Leonhardt. But engineer Matthew Wells has made a welcome companion.

The temptation is to go straight to the pictures, but it is worth taking the trouble to read the introduction by Hugh Pearman which is a beautifully written account of the philosophy of the engineering and architectural aspects of bridge building. Then follows the 'Brief History' by Matthew Wells (not so brief really) which is a comprehensive survey of bridges from the earliest Chinese examples (206BC) to the present, explaining structural aspects of design through the ages and the development of structural theory including all-important wind effects and dynamics. He makes reference to major bridge failures (Tay etc) and gives reasons.

The case studies are interesting, covering 30 of what Wells considers to be the most noteworthy bridges, very recent and historic. Of course one could disagree with his choice but it is wide ranging. Photographs and text are supplemented by explanatory freehand sketches by the author which give a clear explanation of the engineering concept of each design.

This book is obviously the result of an enormous amount of research for the photographs alone, which arc superb, with some showing aspects which I have never seen.

Finally, there is an excellent description of the problems and solution to the London Millennium Bridge which has been at the forefront of the mind of many sympathetic engineers and architects.

30 Bridges is a great addition to my library and I am sure others will agree.