Dale H. Porter

The construction of The Thames Embankment took more than fifty years. Dale H. Porter states that "Most people would not think of a five-mile concrete wall, backfilled with a million cubic yards of dirt, as a social or cultural informant." Yet, this is precisely what he does in this brilliant book. In this great engineering project sewage, transportation, hygiene, aesthetics, economy, politics, and the environment came together. Not only does he convincingly communicate the interpretative flexibility of this concrete wall; he also portray Victorian London in a vivid manner. The Thames Embankment is a highly recommended book for historians of technology and the environment.… (mehr)