Vincent Lee-Thorp, a consulting mechanical and electrical engineer with projects in the White House, the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the FBI, several department buildings and 105 other buildings under the jurisdiction of the federal government obviously knows whereof he speaks and offers unique insights into the minds of the people who set up the new city for the new nation, designed the bridges, railroads and water supplies, somehow came up with that spectacular Capitol dome, and kept the entire construct going through fire, flood, civil war, expansion, changes in purpose, struggles for power and even the complexities of air conditioning. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Lee-Thorp, Washington consulting mechanical/electrical engineer, has written a compelling history of American engineering. This book easily could have been a dry listing of names, dates, and projects. But the author creates a fascinating story line of the growth of the field from its earliest forms in 13th-century England through the English Industrial Revolution; military engineering, pre- and post-American Revolutionary War; the growth of public utilities; the development of civil engineering and the building of bridges and roads; the origin of air conditioning; and more into the 20th century. The author relates not only the history of engineering in Washington, DC, but also the evolution of engineering from an artisan class into an organized, very diversified profession. The book is well indexed and contains many photographs and plates of the city through time. A very good read for those interested in either Washington, DC, or the history of engineering. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers. M. V. Golden Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.