| The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 |  | Author: David Mccullough
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
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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. The story of the Panama Canal is complex, full of heroes, villains, and victims. McCullough's long, richly detailed, and eminently literate book pays homage to an immense undertaking. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Winner of the National Book Award for history, 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. McCullough expertly weaves the many strands of this momentous event into a captivating tale. Like his masterful, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography John Adams, David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. This audiobook is a must-listen for anyone interested in American history, international intrigue, and human drama.
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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: Read 116 more reviews...
 How did they do this?? July 20, 2008
In November of 1971 I was ordered to Fort Sherman, Canal Zone for jungle operations training. In the two weeks that I was there I learned many things among which are the following:
1. The Jungle is the King.
2. Don't mess with the Jungle.
3. There are mosquitoes in the Jungle and they'll make your life miserable and even give you malaria.
4. Don't ever get mad at the Jungle. The madder you get the worse off you will be.
In 1977 I read Mr. McCullough's book about the creation of the Panama Canal. His chronicle on the building of this path between the seas is truly epic. He tells of the failures of Ferdinand de Lesseps in trying to build a sea level canal. He describes T R Roosevelt's desire to build this connect between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Mr. McCullough goes into great depth about the Army Corps of Engineers in the building of the Canal, His take on the excavation of the Culebra Cut is amazing. Personally being on the ground about 60 years later , I consider it a modern day engineering miracle. The density of the jungle and the incredible tropical heat was a large deterrent to any building progress. However in the end it was accomplished.
Kudos to the U.S.A.. This was their finest hour!! I don't think Mr. Churchill ever realized the magnitude of this accomplishment.
Book Purchase April 23, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Seller described the used book that I received perfectly. Shipment was expedited. All aspects of the purchase were excellent, just as the seller promised. Thank you
The Path between The Seas April 10, 2008
The Path Between The Seas by David McCullough is a must read by anyone interested in the history of man's achievements in construction. The author masterfully presents details as to every obstacle that had to be overcome to create a path between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean by cutting through the Continental Divide at the Panama isthmus. His coverage of the human aspects of the massive excavation and construction efforts is a great piece of literature commemorating both the engineering genius of many persons and the thousands of lives sacrificed in constructing the canal and its locks system.
Page-turning non-fiction that reads like a novel. April 10, 2008
This the best book I've read in a year. It's 600 pages that is hard to put down. Truth is more interesting than fiction. It's a marvelously well written and human story of a historic epic. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history, engineering or Panama.
 God Bless America February 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Feb 28, 2008
Ardsley, PA
Transiting the Canal in 2005 with my family in our sailboat I wished that I had known more about the canal. THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS fits that bill perfectly. I highly recommend this book. It is both an interesting and an easy read.
My impression at the end was surprise at how little about the actual construction is included in over 600 pages of research and writing. The amazing thing is that there is so much to this story; that the physical construction, while ultimately the real story, is but a part of that story. The book paints a broad picture of the whole canal effort from the Private French Effort and failure through the American purchase and eventual success.
With the benefit of hindsight it is inconceivable that Ferdinand de Lesepps would attempt to build the canal as a privately funded project. Most of the first half of the story unfolds beneath the backdrop of the incredible costs of the project. Ultimately, these costs along with the tropical diseases overcame the French effort.
Beyond the gargantuan efforts needed to fund the French Canal is the amazing realization that the work was started without a clear idea of how it was to be completed. In this age of thousand page contracts, imagine starting to dig through the Culebra Cut without any idea of how to cross the Chagres River!
I was stunned to learn that a decade later even our American effort was begun without a clear idea of how to finish the job. Yes, this was the time of Iron Men: men of vision, courage and audacity.
The narrative of Panamanian Independence reflects poorly on all involved: the Panamanians, Colombians and American Foreign Policy, but it is not quite fair to pass judgment with 100 years of perspective.
The medical successes of Dr Gorgas and the Engineering success of Wallace, Stevens, Goethals and their teams should be a source of immense pride for every American and should be a story with which every educated American is familiar.
De Tocqueville observed: "America is great because America is Good." Our country's efforts in Panama were indeed great and the results of those efforts have resulted in an incalculable good for all of mankind.
Read this book and make sure your children know this story.
Semper Fi,
Joe Rooney
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