Paving Our Ways: A History of the World's Roads and Pavements
Transportation History Civil Engineering Urban Planning Technology History Archaeology Infrastructure Studies Materials Science Environmental Engineering
Paving Our Ways: A History of the World's Roads and Pavements is the first global, cradle-to-grave story of how humankind’s oldest engineered network shaped civilisation. Civil engineers, transport planners and infrastructure historians prize this 2021 Taylor & Francis hardback because it moves beyond technical manuals to give the pavement itself a voice—explaining how Roman stone blocks, Mughal brick expressways, Napoleonic macadam and modern asphalt each solved the mobility challenges of their era. With 300 richly-illustrated pages the authors trace materials science, labour systems and even climate adaptation, so readers see why today’s perpetual-asphalt highways evolved and where they may head next.
What makes this copy especially appealing is its like-new interior: pages are crisp, unmarked and tightly bound, perfect for reference or gifting. The durable 234 mm case-bound format stands up to site-office use while the 739 g weight feels substantial without being unwieldy. Light exterior scuffing and a single dog-ear on the blank front endpaper keep the price attractive yet still presentable on a professional shelf. ISBN 9780367520809 ensures you are getting the corrected first edition that reviewers cite in journal articles and post-graduate syllabi worldwide.
Collectors and practitioners alike seek this title because no other single volume integrates archaeological findings, patent records and traffic-load modelling into a narrative accessible to students and policy makers. Whether you need authoritative background for a pavement-management proposal, lecture slides on sustainable surfacing, or a thoughtful gift for a road-building enthusiast, this hard-to-find hardcover delivers the definitive roadmap to how roads built empires—and how they will build our low-carbon future.
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