Willa Cather's first novel is a taut tragedy of a divided life. Bartley Alexander, the most celebrated bridge-builder of his day, is settled into a good Boston marriage when a first love, rediscovered in London, splits him in two — even as his firm is pressed to raise a great cantilever span over the St. Lawrence more cheaply than it can safely be built. Cather later half-disowned the book, but its central image is entirely her own. This edition presents the complete and unabridged novel, newly typeset and illustrated with 30 full-page color plates.
