Path Between The Seas : The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914

asked by jan1975 on November 22, 2006 6:05 AM

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

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Reviews

This has been the best non-fiction book I've read in a long time. Meticulously researched, it unfolds like a novel of political intrigue, back room deals, corruption, hype, national exuberance and disappointments, and the limitless potential of forward seeing men. It's also a reminder that this government of ours is often less that straightforward and ethical, a precursor to what is happening in the Middle East as we speak.

reviewed by carrots on November 28, 2006 8:53 AM

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I found this book incredibly informative. The research that obviously went into it is incredible. I always have the same problem with McCullough's books - they need an editor. About ten percent of this book was superfluous and just didn't fit. Still I enjoyed it greatly!

reviewed by squeege on November 28, 2006 3:31 PM

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Great, very long, book with much (sometimes too much) detail. It divides into 3 parts. Part 1 is all about background and the progress of the French in trying to build the Panamá Canal. That occured before 1900. Part 2 is all about the background and process the United States went through in making its decision to build the canal in Panama (and not in Nicaragua). Part 3 is about the actual building of the canal from the early 1900s until its completion in 1914. I'm so glad I'd read this book before going through the canal recently. Some friends of mine bogged down in Part 1 and didn't get into the rest; so one might consider starting with Parts 2 and 3 (although having the background of Part 1 certainly enriches the total experience).

reviewed by fabio on November 28, 2006 11:40 PM

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This book is a very thorough history of the French and US efforts to construct the canal. I had no idea of the extent of the French efforts, nor of the extensive efforts made by the French to promote financing of the project. The sanitation and logistical infrastructure that ultimately had to be put in place for the US effort to succed was mind-boggling. Overall, I enjoyed the book, however the level of detail was at times a bit much.

reviewed by shagdag on November 29, 2006 1:26 PM

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My dad, uncle and aunt were born in the Zone. I came to this book with a lot of interest due to family involvement.
The story is absorbing. The history of the French attempt in the 1880's is largely lost to our knowledge of Canal history.
The U.S.'s political, [military action to gain posession of the Panama Teritory from Colombia], and the financial chicanery to finance the construction is enlightening. Teddy Roosevelt's personality, drive and ambition were to a great degree responsible for getting the project completed.
Obstacles such as recruiting labor, construction in the jungle environment with yellow fever rampaging, overcoming incredible management and engineering problems, and the politcal obstacles, keep your interest s as though it were a novel of unknown outcome.
The resolution of the Yellow Fever issue is a story in itself.

reviewed by jdog on November 29, 2006 3:34 PM

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add a new book!