The author of "Dealers of Lightning" pens the definitive account of the epic construction of the Hoover Dam, one of the the 20th century's most consequential public works.

Introduction: September 30, 1935: Roosevelt comes to the river -- 1: The sinful river -- The journey of death -- Born of the desert -- Rockwood's gamble -- The Lord's dame site -- 2: The road to black canyon -- Hoover steps in -- Battlegrounds -- Hurry-up Crowe -- The silver spike -- The big six -- Ragtown -- Rush job -- The Wobblies' last stand -- Ely's kingdom -- 3: The arch -- The jumbos -- Turning points -- The rising -- The pour -- Reckonings -- The crest -- Legacies.