London Bridge in America: The Tall Story of a Transatlantic Crossing

Description

A brilliantly entertaining look at just what happened when London Bridge was sold and shipped to America. In 1968 the world's largest antique went to America. But how do you transport a 130-year-old bridge 3,000 miles? And why did Robert P. McCulloch, a multimillionaire oil baron and chainsaw-manufacturing king, buy it? Why did he ship it to a waterless patch of the Arizonan desert? Did he even get the right bridge? To answer these questions, it's necessary to meet a peculiar cast. Fleet Street shysters Revolutionary Radicals Frock-coated industrialists Disneyland designers Thames dockers Guinness Book of Records officials The odd Lord Mayor Bridge-building priests Gun-toting U.S. sheriffs An Apache Indian or two And a fraudster whose greatest trick was to convince the world he ever existed Roll up, then, for the story of one of the strangest events in Anglo-American relations. Curious, clever and sharp, this is history to delight in.

Travis Elborough, described as 'one of Britain's finest pop culture historians' by the Guardian, has been a freelance writer, author, broadcaster and cultural commentator for nearly two decades. His books include The Bus We Loved, London Bridge in America, and A Walk in the Park. Our History of the 20th Century- As Told in Diaries, Journals and Letters was published in 2017.

As much a social history as the story of the bridge, this entertaining book is packed with facts but its light, sprightly tone makes bricks and mortar a source of human interest. -- Sally Morris * Daily Mail * [Elborough] is a charming, wry companion, who wears his considerable learning lightly. -- Ian Sansom * Guardian * Wonderfully detailed... A fitting testament to the folly and wonder of human endeavour. -- Claire Looby * Irish Times * Elborough's book is a fascinating mix of social and architectural history, travelogue and pop culture, but it is his ability to bring to life the disparate and often eccentric characters involved in the story that stands out. -- Ian Critchley * Sunday Times * An entertaining cultural historian of the Bill Bryson school...very interesting, and crammed with historical trivia. -- Helen Brown * Daily Telegraph *