{"product_id":"the-big-roads-paperback","title":"The Big Roads - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eEarl Swift\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Travelers hitting the highways this summer might better appreciate the asphalt beneath their tires thanks to this engrossing history of the creation of the U.S. interstate system.\"--\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePerhaps nothing changed the face of America more than the creation of the interstate system. At once man-made wonders, economic pipelines, agents of sprawl, and uniquely American sirens of escape, the interstates snake into every aspect of modern life. \u003ci\u003eThe Big Roads \u003c\/i\u003edocuments their historic creation and the many people they've affected, from the speed demon who inspired a primitive web of dirt auto trails, to the cadre of largely forgotten technocrats who planned the system years before Ike reached the White House, to the thousands of city dwellers who resisted the concrete juggernaut when it bore down on their neighborhoods. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Big Roads\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of this essential feature of the landscape we have come to take for granted. With a view toward players both great and small, Swift gives readers the full story of one of America's greatest engineering achievements. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Engaging, informative . . . The first thorough history of the expressway system.\"--Jonathan Yardley, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"The book is a road geek's treasure--and everyone who travels the highways ought to know these stories.\"--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA man-made wonder, a connective network, an economic force, a bringer of blight and sprawl and the possibility of escape--the U.S. interstate system transformed America. \"The Big Roads\" presents the surprising history of how we got from dirt tracks to expressways in the space of a single lifetime.Earl Swift brings to light the visionaries who created these essential highways as well as the critics and citizens who questioned their headlong expansion throughout the country, including: - Carl Fisher, the irrepressible car-racing entrepreneur who spurred the push for good roads in the early years of the automobile, built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and made a fortune creating Miami Beach, only to lose it all- Thomas MacDonald, chief among a handful of driven engineers who conceived of the interstates and how they would work, years before President Eisenhower knew the plans existed- Lewis Mumford, the critic whose crusade against America's budding love affair with the automobile--and the ever-bigger roads it required--now seems prescient - Joe Wiles, an African-American family man turned activist, one of thousands of ordinary citizens in dozens of cities who found their homes and communities targeted by the concrete juggernaut--and were unwilling to be uprooted in the name of progress In mapping a fascinating route through the dreams, discoveries, and protest that shaped these mighty roads, Swift shows that the interstates embody the wanderlust, grand scale, and conflicting notions of citizenship that define America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTravelers hitting the highways this summer might better appreciate the asphalt beneath their tires thanks to this engrossing history of the creation of the U.S. interstate system. \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePerhaps nothing changed the face of America more than the creation of the interstate system. At once man-made wonders, economic pipelines, agents of sprawl, and uniquely American sirens of escape, the interstates snake into every aspect of modern life. \u003ci\u003eThe Big Roads \u003c\/i\u003edocuments their historic creation and the many people they ve affected, from the speed demon who inspired a primitive web of dirt auto trails, to the cadre of largely forgotten technocrats who planned the system years before Ike reached the White House, to the thousands of city dwellers who resisted the concrete juggernaut when it bore down on their neighborhoods. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Big Roads\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of this essential feature of the landscape we have come to take for granted. With a view toward players both great and small, Swift gives readers the full story of one of America s greatest engineering achievements. \u003cbr\u003e Engaging, informative . . . The first thorough history of the expressway system. Jonathan Yardley, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The book is a road geek s treasure and everyone who travels the highways ought to know these stories. \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[\u003cb\u003eAU PHOTO\u003c\/b\u003e] EARL SWIFT is the author of three previous books, including \u003ci\u003eWhere They Lay\u003c\/i\u003e, a 2003 PEN finalist. He lives in Virginia with his daughter, Saylor. \u003cbr\u003e\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEARL SWIFT is the author of three previous books, including \u003ci\u003eWhere They Lay\u003c\/i\u003e, a 2003 PEN finalist. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 400\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.91 x 8 x 5.44 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 20, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42133124546695,"sku":"9780547907246","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/7e000728ac0c684e3132cf1a27cfb33c.webp?v=1732631914","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/the-big-roads-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}