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High Steel

The Daring Men Who Built the World's Greatest Skyline, 1881 to the Present

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1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
"[This] compelling book makes us look at the familiar history of the growth of New York from a new point of view—that of the men who actually built it." —Wall Street Journal
A powerful first-hand account of the many generations and ethnic groups of men who have built America's skyscrapers.
From the early days of steel construction in Chicago, through the great boom years of New York city ironwork, and up through the present, High Steel follows the trajectory of careers inextricably linked to both great accomplishment and catastrophic disaster.
The personal stories reveal the lives of ironworkers and the dangers they face as they walk across the windswept, swaying summits of tomorrow's skyscrapers, balanced on steel girders sometimes only six inches wide. Rasenberger explores both the greatest accomplishments of ironwork—the bridges and towers that define America's skyline—and the deadliest disasters, such as the Quebec Bridge Collapse of 1907, when seventy-five ironworkers, including thirty-three Mohawk Indians, fell to their deaths. High Steel is an accessible and thrilling portrait of the lives of some of our most brave yet unrecognized men.
"A thoughtful testament to a dying craft that has helped fuel the American economy for more than a century." –Publishers Weekly
"Rasenberger's muscular portrait deserves an outsize audience." —Booklist
"Rasenberger tell[s] his tale . . . uncommonly well." —The Washington Post
"Riveting." —Chicago Sun-Times
"A breezy, anecdotal history of . . . the daredevils of the skies." —New York Newsday
"Introduce[s] us to the romance and adventure of hard hats. . . . men [who] make their living courting danger every day." —New York Post
"Beautifully written." —New York Sun
"Fascinating." —New York Magazine
"A testament to an incredible group of workers [that] ranks . . . with Gay Talese's classic The Bridge." —Daily News
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 23, 2004
      Inspired by a New York Times
      article Rasenberger wrote on ironworkers in early 2001, this historical overview of skyscraper construction in New York City and elsewhere traces the erection of such structures as the Flatiron and Chrysler buildings, the Empire State Building, the George Washington Bridge, the World Trade Center and the lavish new Time Warner Center. This last building is the narrative column around which Rasenberger builds his book, which is largely devoted to "the men who risked the most and labored the hardest"—the ironworkers who put the high-rise steel columns in place. Though his admiration at times seems compulsory rather than genuine, Rasenberger emphasizes the often heroic, death-defying feats ironworkers perform. He also takes account of far-flung communities that breed ironworkers, such as the Mohawk Indians of upstate New York. The chronological history is broken up by alternating sections on the Time Warner Center and often feels less like a single narrative than a collection of vignettes. Rasenberger's principal claim, that ironwork's days are numbered because of the growing reliance on concrete, is often lost in the telling. Even the Time Warner Center was built more with concrete than iron, which is costlier and more vulnerable to heat in events such as the World Trade Center attacks. This recounting, while less than fully absorbing, serves as a valuable history for building enthusiasts and a thoughtful testament to a dying craft that has helped fuel the American economy for more than a century. 21 b&w photos. Agent, Kris Dahl, ICM.

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