Identify Based On Books The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
Title | : | The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 |
Author | : | David McCullough |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 697 pages |
Published | : | June 1st 2004 by Simon Schuster (first published June 1st 1977) |
Categories | : | History. Nonfiction. North American Hi.... American History. Historical. World History. Audiobook. Travel |
David McCullough
Hardcover | Pages: 697 pages Rating: 4.2 | 16003 Users | 1379 Reviews
Narration Supposing Books The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
On December 31, 1999, after nearly a century of rule, the United States officially ceded ownership of the Panama Canal to the nation of Panama. That nation did not exist when, in the mid-19th century, Europeans first began to explore the possibilities of creating a link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the narrow but mountainous isthmus; Panama was then a remote and overlooked part of Colombia.All that changed, writes David McCullough in his magisterial history of the Canal, in 1848, when prospectors struck gold in California. A wave of fortune seekers descended on Panama from Europe and the eastern United States, seeking quick passage on California-bound ships in the Pacific, and the Panama Railroad, built to serve that traffic, was soon the highest-priced stock listed on the New York Exchange.
To build a 51-mile-long ship canal to replace that railroad seemed an easy matter to some investors. But, as McCullough notes, the construction project came to involve the efforts of thousands of workers from many nations over four decades; eventually those workers, laboring in oppressive heat in a vast malarial swamp, removed enough soil and rock to build a pyramid a mile high. In the early years, they toiled under the direction of French entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went bankrupt while pursuing his dream of extending France's empire in the Americas.
The United States then entered the picture, with President Theodore Roosevelt orchestrating the purchase of the canal—but not before helping foment a revolution that removed Panama from Colombian rule and placed it squarely in the American camp.

Point Books To The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
Original Title: | The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 |
ISBN: | 0743262131 (ISBN13: 9780743262132) |
Edition Language: | English |
Setting: | Panama |
Literary Awards: | National Book Award for History (1978), Francis Parkman Prize (1978), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for General Nonfiction (1977), Cornelius Ryan Award (1977) |
Rating Based On Books The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
Ratings: 4.2 From 16003 Users | 1379 ReviewsWrite-Up Based On Books The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
Something very strange happens about 30% through "Path Between the Seas." For the first 1/3 of the book, the reader must trudge through pedantic descriptions of very trivial matters and a hodgepodge of boring discussions on all things nautical. Then, all of a sudden McCullough does something amazing: he reminds you that people- everyday ordinary people -really cared about the Panama Canal, what it could do and what it would mean. And when it nearly failed, even though we are talking about peopleProbably no one writes more complete and exhaustive histories than David McCullough. In The Path Between the Seas, one of his earlier works (1977), McCullough guides you through the political, financial, and engineering intricacies of building the Panama Canal, a modern wonder of the world. Its a fascinating read, especially if you enjoy history, politics and geography. The opening of the canal and control allowed the United States to maintain a two-ocean navy, and provide security for some

1. How well written is it?I listened to this book on Audible.All of David McCullough's books are well written and easily digestible. That being said, you can tell that this is an older book. Some of the transitions were not as smooth as his other books and I felt that there were sections that he would have condensed if it were written today.2. How interesting is the subject?The Panama Canal is one of those subjects that is kind of esoteric. It is something that is out there, probably has an
In 1963, when I was only 17, I visited Central America as part of an air cadet exchange program. This was my first major trip outside of the United States. Although most of my time was spent in El Salvador, I did spend time in both Costa Rica and Panama and had the opportunity to tour the Panama canal. Of course at that age the months I spent in Central America including Panama made a major impression. What an experience for a 17 year old from Boise, Idaho! After all these years, this was the
Ideas too have their period of extrinsic incubation, and particularly if they run contrary to what has always seemed common sense.Fact is almost always more interesting than fiction, and history is full of a lot of interesting facts. David McCullough has proved this time and time again in his books. The Path Between the Seas is one of his best examples. The history of the building of the Panama Canal is one I knew nothing about and it is one hugely fascinating story. The 44 year span between the
This is a wonderful book. I read this book ahead of a cruise my wife and I took through the Panama Canal and was stunned at the massive under taking to accomplish this structure. This is a part of history I knew nothing about. How France went bankrupt trying to finish it, the huge numbers of people who died from yellow fever and the theories at the time of why. Fascinating.At one point the author gives a list of what one surveying expedition took on the trip. For me the list is fascinating all
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