Leo T. reviewed on 10/8/2019 + 1775 more book reviews

This is part of a series by a textbook publisher: A National Trust Guide. It apparently is aimed at members of the public with an interest in civil engineering and to lead travelers to stop and view these examples of the 19th and 20th C. American skill. Showing considerable enthusiasm for his subject, the author did not in the mid-1980s anticipate the current push to tear down dams and restore the pathways to fish spawning grounds. (To me that is problematic because they have also championed the increase in the numbers of otters and seals who eat tremendous quantities of fish.)
There are two chapters reviewing engineering of dams and bridges, followed by exemplars arranged by section (The South, etc.) and state. Each entry is accompanied by a photo, basic description, and a further long paragraph offering context. I opened the book at the Little Rock dam and the paragraph did not well explain how very dry northern Los Angeles County was before the 1960s project to bring water from the Sacramento Valley. Happily, Little Rock was used by the author for his discussion of saving dams.
My rating is based on being a reader who is an 'armchair civil engineer.' I will leave the book on the shelf of the old soldiers' home and later take it to the lobby of the VA Hospital (many readers).
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