Robert J. Kapsch

I chose to read this book for work-related purposes, but it's a fairly interesting examination of the pit-falls of building a new national capital basically from scratch, without having the guaranteed resources to do so. Still, though it might have been a "crazy idea," it was George Washington's "crazy idea," so the American republic persevered in the face of the many difficulties. Perhaps the most chronic problem from the author's perspective is that the commissioners who had the responsibility of presiding over construction often didn't see eye to eye with the professional engineers tasked with turning their unschooled ideas into reality. Solid progress arguably wasn't made until the chief engineer was made directly responsible to the president, when Benjamin Latrobe served under Jefferson and Madison. It should be noted that this book covers much more than the White House and the Capitol, as issues of transportation, water control and fortification are also dealt with.… (más)

A useful but limited overview of how early transportation networks were built over the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, mostly during the nineteenth century. The author focuses on canals, also providing information about early railroads. Extensive illustrations, including period maps and illustrations of transportation networks, are a highlight; however, in some cases the illustrations were scanned at too low a resolution and key details are are impossible to make out. The writing is matter-of-fact but uninspired, and most readers will not choose read this book straight through, but will instead use it as a reference.… (más)