The aesthetics of bridges is far from an exact science and is subject to opinion. But instead of focussing purely on his own, Frederick Gottemoeller develops that of the reader, even devoting a couple of pages to the subject of 'Improving Aesthetic Skills'. This is no rulebook full of dos and don'ts that fall apart at the first irregular characteristic of a site; it is an education of how to perceive bridges.
Having said that, each element of a bridge is clearly and concisely dealt with over 150 pages, where guidelines are given and points to be aware of highlighted. These are often backed up with illustrations, which are often labelled 'Ordinary' and 'Better'.
The text also deals with the inclusion of aesthetics into the procedure of bridge building, suggesting workable machinery to help with the design process.
The book is clearly laid out and can be readily used as a reference book, but whilst it does have a number of photos they are generally small and without colour.