The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
by: David McCullough
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On December 31, 1999, after nearly a century of rule, theUnited States officially ceded ownership of the Panama Canal to the nation ofPanama. That nation did not exist when, in the mid-19th century,Europeans first began to explore the possibilities of creating a linkbetween the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the narrow butmountainous isthmus; Panama was then a remote and overlooked part ofColombia.
All that changed, writes DavidMcCullough in his magisterial history of the Canal, in 1848, whenprospectors struck gold in California. A wave of fortune seekersdescended on Panama from Europe and the eastern United States, seekingquick passage on California-bound ships in the Pacific, and the PanamaRailroad, built to serve that traffic, was soon the highest-pricedstock listed on the New York Exchange. To build a 51-mile-long shipcanal to replace that railroad seemed an easy matter to someinvestors. But, as McCullough notes, the construction project came toinvolve the efforts of thousands of workers from many nations overfour decades; eventually those workers, laboring in oppressive heat ina vast malarial swamp, removed enough soil and rock to build a pyramida mile high. In the early years, they toiled under the direction ofFrench entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went bankrupt whilepursuing his dream of extending France's empire in the Americas. TheUnited States then entered the picture, with President TheodoreRoosevelt orchestrating the purchase of the canal--but not beforehelping foment a revolution that removed Panama from Colombian ruleand placed it squarely in the American camp.
The story of the Panama Canal is complex, full of heroes, villains,and victims. McCullough's long, richly detailed, and eminentlyliterate book pays homage to an immense undertaking. --GregoryMcNamee
Product Description:
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, here is the national bestselling epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal. In The Path Between the Seas, acclaimed historian David McCullough delivers a first-rate drama of the sweeping human undertaking that led to the creation of this grand enterprise.
The Path Between the Seas tells the story of the men and women who fought against all odds to fulfill the 400-year-old dream of constructing an aquatic passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a story of astonishing engineering feats, tremendous medical accomplishments, political power plays, heroic successes, and tragic failures. Applying his remarkable gift for writing lucid, lively exposition, McCullough weaves the many strands of the momentous event into a comprehensive and captivating tale.
Winner of the National Book Award for history, the Francis Parkman Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and the Cornelius Ryan Award (for the best book of the year on international affairs), The Path Between the Seas is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, the history of technology, international intrigue, and human drama.
On December 31, 1999, after nearly a century of rule, theUnited States officially ceded ownership of the Panama Canal to the nation ofPanama. That nation did not exist when, in the mid-19th century,Europeans first began to explore the possibilities of creating a linkbetween the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the narrow butmountainous isthmus; Panama was then a remote and overlooked part ofColombia.
All that changed, writes DavidMcCullough in his magisterial history of the Canal, in 1848, whenprospectors struck gold in California. A wave of fortune seekersdescended on Panama from Europe and the eastern United States, seekingquick passage on California-bound ships in the Pacific, and the PanamaRailroad, built to serve that traffic, was soon the highest-pricedstock listed on the New York Exchange. To build a 51-mile-long shipcanal to replace that railroad seemed an easy matter to someinvestors. But, as McCullough notes, the construction project came toinvolve the efforts of thousands of workers from many nations overfour decades; eventually those workers, laboring in oppressive heat ina vast malarial swamp, removed enough soil and rock to build a pyramida mile high. In the early years, they toiled under the direction ofFrench entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went bankrupt whilepursuing his dream of extending France's empire in the Americas. TheUnited States then entered the picture, with President TheodoreRoosevelt orchestrating the purchase of the canal--but not beforehelping foment a revolution that removed Panama from Colombian ruleand placed it squarely in the American camp.
The story of the Panama Canal is complex, full of heroes, villains,and victims. McCullough's long, richly detailed, and eminentlyliterate book pays homage to an immense undertaking. --GregoryMcNamee
Product Description:
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, here is the national bestselling epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal. In The Path Between the Seas, acclaimed historian David McCullough delivers a first-rate drama of the sweeping human undertaking that led to the creation of this grand enterprise.
The Path Between the Seas tells the story of the men and women who fought against all odds to fulfill the 400-year-old dream of constructing an aquatic passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a story of astonishing engineering feats, tremendous medical accomplishments, political power plays, heroic successes, and tragic failures. Applying his remarkable gift for writing lucid, lively exposition, McCullough weaves the many strands of the momentous event into a comprehensive and captivating tale.
Winner of the National Book Award for history, the Francis Parkman Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and the Cornelius Ryan Award (for the best book of the year on international affairs), The Path Between the Seas is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, the history of technology, international intrigue, and human drama.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Cannot go wrong here
This book is enormous.It covers the entire history of the idea of the canal, the French try at it, and the American finish of the job.Tightly woven into the story line are the American presidents who helped make this happen, at the top, of course is Teddy Roosevelt.
This book is a great read for those who want to know how the canal was built and how it was ahead of it's time.What a fantastic book - kudos to the the author for another great work.
JVD
Rating: - It's a McCullough!
What else can I say, get it, read it. D.M. is one of the best writers out there.
Rating: - The Path Between the Seas
The Path Between the Seas is a 700 page detailed description of the building of the Panama Canal.One must have an interest in the canal and its construction to read all of this with interest.It is a MUST for anyone traveling through the canal.Now, I want to read it in retrospect ( but more slowly).
Rating: - Another home run by McCullough!!
Wow, what can you say but what another home run by David McCullough.He has definetly become my favorite historical writer, hands-down.He brings his subject and characters to life.I have read all of his books to date, and he continues to amaze.This book, like all his others, is so well written that you simply can't put it down.And the subject matter (i.e. the building of the Panama Canal) would be considered boring by most people.But as usual McCullough makes the subject matter interesting, ... Read More
Rating: 
- No Maps, No Photos
I was extremely disappointed that the Kindle version of this well written book did not include the maps and photos that make the regular edition much more informative and a lot easier to read.
- Cannot go wrong hereThis book is enormous.It covers the entire history of the idea of the canal, the French try at it, and the American finish of the job.Tightly woven into the story line are the American presidents who helped make this happen, at the top, of course is Teddy Roosevelt.
This book is a great read for those who want to know how the canal was built and how it was ahead of it's time.What a fantastic book - kudos to the the author for another great work.
JVD
- It's a McCullough!What else can I say, get it, read it. D.M. is one of the best writers out there.
- The Path Between the SeasThe Path Between the Seas is a 700 page detailed description of the building of the Panama Canal.One must have an interest in the canal and its construction to read all of this with interest.It is a MUST for anyone traveling through the canal.Now, I want to read it in retrospect ( but more slowly).
- Another home run by McCullough!!Wow, what can you say but what another home run by David McCullough.He has definetly become my favorite historical writer, hands-down.He brings his subject and characters to life.I have read all of his books to date, and he continues to amaze.This book, like all his others, is so well written that you simply can't put it down.And the subject matter (i.e. the building of the Panama Canal) would be considered boring by most people.But as usual McCullough makes the subject matter interesting, ... Read More
- No Maps, No PhotosI was extremely disappointed that the Kindle version of this well written book did not include the maps and photos that make the regular edition much more informative and a lot easier to read.
