Booklist Review

Ages 16-adult. Interviews with workers and archival footage show two fascinating feats of engineering, accomplished through the vision, problem solving, and cooperation of many individuals. Grand Coulee Dam provides a bit of geologic, political, and engineering history before getting down to the dam's complex construction, begun in 1933 and completed in 1942, when the wild Columbia River was tamed, power was generated, and an irrigation system was installed. Another achievement of staggering dimensions is seen in Mount Rushmore. Clips and comments reveal how workers, suspended from wires, carved from granite cliffs the heads of four presidents, working from models 1/12 the actual size. Uncovering the logistics of these engineering masterpieces, these videos give immediacy to history and beckon the traveler to these national attractions. Other titles in the series are Panama Canal and Empire State Building. --Nancy McCray