Paving Our Ways: a History of the World's Roads and Pavements

Science & Nature Transport & Engineering History

Paving Our Ways: A History of the World’s Roads and Pavements by civil engineers Kieran Sharp, John Metcalf and Maxwell Lay charts humanity’s 5 000-year quest for smoother, safer travel. This 2021 Taylor & Francis hardcover blends engineering insight with rich global stories, making it a standout in any civil engineering or transportation history library.

The 300-page volume explores everything from Roman stone highways to modern asphalt science, illustrating how road-building shaped commerce, warfare and daily life. Clear diagrams, period maps and recent research give professionals and armchair historians alike a fresh view of the infrastructure beneath our wheels.

This used copy shows only light cover scuffing and bumped edges; a tiny dog-ear on the front blank page is the only internal blemish. Otherwise the pages are clean, unmarked and tightly bound—ready for reference or gift-giving without the new-book price.