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A world that had changed little from the
Middle Ages was altered beyond recognition by the engineering
genius of the nineteenth century: rivers tamed, oceans pacified,
continents bridged. In Dreams of Iron and Steel,
acclaimed historian Deborah Cadbury tells the heroic tale
of the visionaries and ordinary workers who brought to life
seven wonders of engineering that still have the power to
awe and inspire us today.
From the London sewers that banished cholera
to the Panama Canal that shaved thousands of miles off a
dangerous sea passage, from the Hoover Dam that diverted
the world's most unpredictable river to give power to over
half of the country to the transcontinental railroad that
fulfilled the dream of manifest destiny, Dreams of Iron
and Steel reveals the epic struggles and personal stories
of the most brilliant pioneers of the industrial age, and
the financiers and politicians who hung on for the ride
as fortunes and reputations were lost and won.
Fueled by Deborah Cadbury's characteristic
scholarship and insight, this extraordinary chronicle re-creates
the human odyssey of how our modern world was forged --
with rivets, grease, and steam, but also with blood, sweat,
and extreme imagination.
Deborah Cadbury is a highly praised historian
and an Emmy Award-winning producer for the BBC. She is the
author of three books, including The Lost King of France.
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