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| Author: David Mccullough
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy New: $11.68
You Save: $6.32 (35%)
New (8) Used (9) from $6.46
Avg. Customer Rating:  128 reviews
Sales Rank: 58750
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 704
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1.7
ASIN: B000B8953O
Publication Date: October 15, 1978
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 An American Classic February 3, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book was first published 30 years age and it is a testament to its greatness that it is still in print. David McCullough is one of the finest authors of American history and this is one of his masterpieces. This book covers the building of the Panama Canal, from the failed French attempt to the trials and tribulations of the successful American project. As with all of McCullough's books, it blends scholarship with the readability of a novel. You will learn a lot and like any good novel you will not want to put it down.
This book will be of interest to readers of history, to readers of political science, to those interested in medicine and sociology, and to engineers. First and foremost it is the history of a very important project, but it is much more. There is the story of political intrigue, both in the failed French attempt (there was a great scandal reaching to the heights of the French government) and intrigues of the American government that allowed Panama to secede from Columbia. This is also the story of men with great egos, who clashed with each other, nearly scuttling the project. The French failed partly because of their arrogance and a failure to understand that yellow fever was not associated with the lifestyles of the workers who lived in Panama City and Colon. The American succeeded because they recognized that it was due to a mosquito borne infection and that success depended upon controlling the mosquitoes, not the lifestyles of the workers. Engineers will enjoy the technical aspects of the story. The French failed because they did not properly determine the angle of repose of the soil and that the key to solving this problem lay in controlling the Chagres River. The Americans succeeded because they realized that the key was the Chagres River, which could be tamed and made to work for them by filling up a man-made lake that would control the locks that raised and lowered ships up and down the mountains of Panama.
Building the canal was a great feat of government policy, medicine and engineering, and this is a great book, worthy of this great accomplishment.
Everything you wanted to know January 24, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
and more. Don't let the size of this book keep you away - it's wonderful, detailed and reads extremely well. I read this in preparation for a trip to the Canal and was very glad I did. But even if you're not planning a visit there, the story of the Panama Canal is amazing and worthwhile and I can't think of a better way for someone to learn about it than by reading Mr. McCullough's book.
Read before traveling the canal January 19, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Before cruising the Canal, this spell-binding book will make your journey a rich and exciting experience.
Can only be called a Masterpiece January 18, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
If I were an author about write a book about the history of the Panama Canal and I read this book as research, I would be forced to pick another topic to write about..... David McCullough has written THE definitive history on the roller coaster ride of the creation of the Path Between the Seas. No other author will ever write a better account of it's history. This is a brilliant book, interesting from the first page, right the way to the last - Highly Recommended!
A great book about an ambitious project December 14, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
The Panama canal was an essential part of American empire and I expected to hear about that as I read this book. While the focus on empire was not found here a tale of disease and hardship was. The sheer mechanics of building this project were amazing and this is a must read for all technological historians. McCullough weaves a complex tale with ease and the reader cannot wait to find out what happens on the next page. The construction and political decisions will make the reader cringe at times but the eventual triumph will bring a smile to any reader. This is one of the great McCullough books that is often left out but deserves great acclaim. I encourage all to read!
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