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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 re...more
Published June 1st 2004 by Simon Schuster (first published June 1st 1977)
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My uncle recommended it. I had barely started it when we left on a cruise of the Panama Canal, sailing from LA. This book is a detailed, non-fiction account of France's selection of the canal site in Central America, the politics, diseases, intrigues, and construction of locks and 'Big Dig'.
I forgot all about the cruise ship activities and buried myself in this book. It awoke the 'inner engineer' in me that I didn't know I had. I read it desperately night and day, hoping to finish before reachi...more
I forgot all about the cruise ship activities and buried myself in this book. It awoke the 'inner engineer' in me that I didn't know I had. I read it desperately night and day, hoping to finish before reachi...more
Jul 15, 2009Christopher Carbone rated it really liked it · review of another edition
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 people...more
Jan 30, 2017David Eppenstein rated it really liked it
This is a tough book to rate. If you are a history nerd like myself then this book probably deserves the 4 stars that I have given it. However, if you are a more normal person and reader then this book would probably get three, maybe even two stars, because it can easily be mind-numbingly boring. The reason for this difference of opinion is almost certainly the length and the depth of detail. The book is 617 pages of text and I have to admit that 150-200 pages could probably have been chopped to...more
Oct 11, 2015Rob rated it it was amazing
Probably 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. It’s 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 fo...more
Oct 11, 2017Jessica rated it liked it
My whole life is a lie! My favorite palindrome is BOGUS. I mean, sure, it's still a palindrome, but it's just not true!
A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL, PANAMA!
A M A N A P L A N A C A N A L P A N A M A
There wasn't 'a' man, there wasn't even 'a' plan. There were like, a dozen men, all with various plans! It was almost built in Nicaragua! The one guy with a decent plan from the beginning was ignored and his plan sat unnoticed in a file somewhere, while the rest of them ran around, killing thousands of worke...more
A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL, PANAMA!
A M A N A P L A N A C A N A L P A N A M A
There wasn't 'a' man, there wasn't even 'a' plan. There were like, a dozen men, all with various plans! It was almost built in Nicaragua! The one guy with a decent plan from the beginning was ignored and his plan sat unnoticed in a file somewhere, while the rest of them ran around, killing thousands of worke...more
Aug 07, 2014George rated it liked it · review of another edition
CONSUMMATELY BORING. (AND YET…)
“The United States had a mandate from civilization to build the canal, he [Theodore Roosevelt] told Congress on January 4, 1904…”—page 387
Reading very much like an eighth-grade textbook— pedantically packed with a densely detailed, confusing, and virtually meaningless litany of facts, figures, names and dates—especially the first two-thirds of David McCullough’s behemoth, THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914 presents a serious chal...more
“The United States had a mandate from civilization to build the canal, he [Theodore Roosevelt] told Congress on January 4, 1904…”—page 387
Reading very much like an eighth-grade textbook— pedantically packed with a densely detailed, confusing, and virtually meaningless litany of facts, figures, names and dates—especially the first two-thirds of David McCullough’s behemoth, THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914 presents a serious chal...more
Mar 13, 2017Nick T. Borrelli rated it really liked it
You wouldn't think that a book detailing the creation of the Panama Canal would be an exciting and quick read. Well, you'd be wrong! I love David McCullough, I think he is flat-out the best biographer out there as well as being one hell of a history author. 1776 is my favorite book about the American revolution. The Path Between the Seas had me so interested in geology, Central American politics, jungle wildlife, topography, stuff that I would never have thought I would be interested in. It's no...more
Jan 14, 2015Judy rated it really liked it · review of another edition
It takes a lot of slogging through statistics to read this book, which is what you expect from David McCollough. At times the story gets mired in a lot of detail that I'll never remember. However, I did enjoy the book and what I learned that I think I'll keep. My biggest criticism is the lack of maps. What I learned:
1. The French were the first to attempt a canal across the isthmus in Central America. This was due to the unflagging zeal of Ferdinand de Lesseps, who was instrumental in the buildi...more
1. The French were the first to attempt a canal across the isthmus in Central America. This was due to the unflagging zeal of Ferdinand de Lesseps, who was instrumental in the buildi...more
Nov 01, 2017Colleen Browne rated it it was amazing
I wasn't sure whether to award 4 or 5 stars to this book until I realized that my withholding a star had more to do with me than the book. In his typically lucid prose, McCullough wrote a complete history of the building of the Canal. The research was impeccable; the book deserves all the accolades it received. From the disastrous French attempt at building it to the American struggles and finally success, the reader is given the full story. The egos involved always meant that there would be con...more
The Path Between The Seas Epub Download
Apr 02, 2008Brian rated it liked it
This book tells the complete story of the building of the Panama Canal, beginning with the French efforts from 1870 to about 1889, and then continuing with the U.S. completion from 1902 to 1914. I found the parts describing the actual building of the canal (by both the French and the U.S.) to be the most interesting parts of the book. I was much less interested in the political machinations dealing with the U.S. - Columbia negotiations and the U.S. assistance in the creation of the Republic of P...more
McCullough book about the Panama Canal shows the hubris of De Lesspes who was the brilliant builder of the Suez Canal through sand but failed miserably in Panama as he had never even been to Panama and thought you could build a canal in a jungle.
The hardships endured by the people who did finally build the can were unbelievable with malaria, rock slides and oppressive heat.
The hardships endured by the people who did finally build the can were unbelievable with malaria, rock slides and oppressive heat.
While I did not enjoy this one q-u-i-t-e as much as David McCullough's TRUMAN, I still enjoyed it very much. A glorious book about one of the most difficult jobs this country has ever undertaken -- building the 'trans-Isthmus' canal in the early Twentieth Century. See how the French company that had built the Suez Canal was a shoe-in for this one but just wasn't up to the task -- and how American muscle (Bucyrus steam-shovels, for example), planning and problem-solving (particularly in the matte...more
Jun 05, 2010Erik Graff rated it really liked it · review of another editionRecommended to Erik by: no one
David McCullough is a safe bet for popular history. He writes well, ambling along from the main thread of his story--here, the building of the Panama Canal--to include illuminating historical background and biographies of the principals.
The story of the canal is at once impressive, from the engineering standpoint, and depressing, as one of the many sordid chapters of US imperialism. McCullough details how we 'engineered' the creation of a puppet Panamanian state along with a canal in his account...more
The story of the canal is at once impressive, from the engineering standpoint, and depressing, as one of the many sordid chapters of US imperialism. McCullough details how we 'engineered' the creation of a puppet Panamanian state along with a canal in his account...more
Jan 11, 2019Michael Burnam-Fink rated it it was amazing
David McCullough ably captures the grand spirit of the age in this book about the Panama canal. For centuries, men had dreamed of a canal through the American isthmus, which would elimate the fraught passage around Cape Horn, opening up the riches of the Far East and the Pacific Coast to traditional Atlantic powers.
The first man to seriously attempt a canal across the isthmus was Ferdinand de Lessup, builder of the Suez Canal and an entrepreneur par excellence. In the wake of the bitter defeat o...more
The first man to seriously attempt a canal across the isthmus was Ferdinand de Lessup, builder of the Suez Canal and an entrepreneur par excellence. In the wake of the bitter defeat o...more
May 26, 2013Alec rated it really liked it · review of another edition
A couple of weeks ago, I was discussing my recent string of books chronicling enormous engineering projects (“The Great Bridge,” the World’s Fair part of “The Devil in the White City” and now “The Path Between the Seas”) with my friend Paul, and as I relayed the sacrifices made and the years dedicated by the men behind these works, Paul remarked, “Dude, can you imagine dedicating your life to building a f*cking bridge?” On many levels, this insight is full of wisdom. The engineers who undertook...more
David McCullough is one of my favorite authors, however, a book on the Panama Canal wasn't something I was really interested in until I found the book some years later at a used book sale and decided to give it a try. Like many Americans my only knowledge of the Panama Canal was what I read in the textbooks--the United States built the Canal after curing yellow fever. That is such an oversimplified viewpoint that it is almost untrue. It was pretty surprising to find out that the French had origi...more
I read this out loud to Dan. I really didn't think we'd finish before we left for Panama, but we did it! And this book is loooong. I really enjoyed it though. This is the first McCullough book I've read and I'm incredibly impressed with the amount of research he puts into his writing and loved all the details. It made seeing the Canal so much more impressive. I only wish McCullough would have gone into a little more depth with the actual engineering of the canal, but the politics behind the proj...more
A riveting window into another era...French first and then American. An audacious dream and a stunning feat. Personalities, politics, science...timing. Tragedy, failures and stupendous success.
We will be visiting the Panama Canal next month. It will be a far richer experience having read this beautifully written history.
Mar 19, 2019Dawn Michelle rated it it was amazing · review of another editionWe will be visiting the Panama Canal next month. It will be a far richer experience having read this beautifully written history.
Shelves: already-own, audiobook-scribd, history, books-read-in-2019, kindle-read, nonfiction-read, national-book-award-winner
My brain is fried. What an amazing, huge, history lesson that you never got in school, book. WOW. I do not even know how to review this.
Just know this; this is worth reading [listening to]. You will learn things you never ever knew. And you will never look at the Panama Canal [or as I like to call it 'I have no idea how this canal got built'] the same again. And ALL you THINK you know about it, is probably incorrect. I know I was schooled [and therefore both my bestie and my mom were schooled]...more
Just know this; this is worth reading [listening to]. You will learn things you never ever knew. And you will never look at the Panama Canal [or as I like to call it 'I have no idea how this canal got built'] the same again. And ALL you THINK you know about it, is probably incorrect. I know I was schooled [and therefore both my bestie and my mom were schooled]...more
Mar 08, 2019John rated it it was amazing
The reputation of McCullough's history of the Panama canal is well deserved. Detailed and exhaustive, but thoroughly engaging. An interesting read for an understanding of the immensity of the accomplishment that the Panama Canal represents, but a must read prior to visiting the canal.
I read this book while I was on a cruise from Houston to Seattle on the NCL Jewel, so I got to see the Big Ditch up close and in live-living-color...awesome experience! It was amazing that I went through the same locks that have been in operation since 1914 and the same locks that my Dad passed through on the Battleship Iowa during WWII from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. The book tells the story of the men and women who fought against overwhelming odds to construct a passageway between the...more
Like every other David McCullough book I have read, I thoroughly enjoyed The Path Between the Seas. Will be traveling to Panama in 2 weeks, though not sure if will see the canal, but thought it would be interesting to learn more about its creation. McCullough book gives the rich drama that was behind this amazing engineering accomplishment.
The book has two major parts: the valiant but costly failed first attempt by the French to build the canal and the successful second attempt by the Americans...more
The book has two major parts: the valiant but costly failed first attempt by the French to build the canal and the successful second attempt by the Americans...more
Jan 16, 2017Christy rated it liked it
I'm listening to this on Audible and I can't go on. Just leave me here on the shores of the Chagras River to be swallowed up by the next rainy season. Maybe I'll rally like the Americans and finish the job, but I'm gonna need to take a break and dry out first.
Nov 27, 2018Porter Broyles rated it really liked it
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 inte...more
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 inte...more
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I'm a huge fan of McCullough, and I'm a little worried that my mixed feelings come from not being in a proper mental state to read something this heavy, and also I listened to most of this with a really horrible narrator.
Ok, whats good about it. This may sound ridiculous, but I never gave it much thought. This was a huge undertaking and an engineering marvel. I always thought it was all Roosevelt's impetus to develop this project, but it's interesting...more
Ok, whats good about it. This may sound ridiculous, but I never gave it much thought. This was a huge undertaking and an engineering marvel. I always thought it was all Roosevelt's impetus to develop this project, but it's interesting...more
Jan 31, 2019Michael Huang rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I had reservations about 700-page tomes. Couldn’t you write it in 300 pages? But in McCullough’s defense, the Panama Canal story is a hell of story. The Panama Canal is not just any canal. There is a reason why it’s one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. For the 80km or so distance that a ship passes from Pacific to Atlantic (Caribbean), the amount of digging needed could have made a canal 55ft wide and as long as the US is wide.
Hot on the heel of success of the Suez Canal, Ferdinand de Less...more
Hot on the heel of success of the Suez Canal, Ferdinand de Less...more
Jul 16, 2018Robert French rated it really liked it · review of another edition
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 fi...more
The hardship to build the canal should overwhelm all of us. McCullough is a great historian and historical writer.
Jul 20, 2018Alicen rated it really liked it
An extremely detailed account of how the Panama Canal was built. Since I have visited the Canal a number of times, I figured it was time to learn more about it and I'm glad I did.
Sep 01, 2012Wendy Unsworth rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Exhaustive and exhausting!
I had wanted to read this book for some time having visited Panama and seen the mighty canal achievement for myself. The book is a challenge; long and densely packed with detail, some more interesting to me than others. At times I wanted the rambling political descriptions to be over. However I was fascinated by the in-depth history of the project in terms of medicine and the grave impact disease had on the whole enterprise. Panama is a place of stark contrasts with it...more
I had wanted to read this book for some time having visited Panama and seen the mighty canal achievement for myself. The book is a challenge; long and densely packed with detail, some more interesting to me than others. At times I wanted the rambling political descriptions to be over. However I was fascinated by the in-depth history of the project in terms of medicine and the grave impact disease had on the whole enterprise. Panama is a place of stark contrasts with it...more
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David McCullough is a Yale-educated, two-time recipient of both the Pulitzer Prize (Truman; John Adams) and the National Book Award (The Path Between the Seas; Mornings on Horseback). His many other highly-acclaimed works of historical non-fiction include The Greater Journey, 1776, Brave Companions, The Great Bridge, The Wright Brothers, and The Johnstown Flood. He has been honored with the Nation...more
“You won’t get fired if you do something, you will if you don’t do anything. Do something if it is wrong, for you can correct that, but there is no way to correct nothing.” — 4 likes
“To the majority of those on the job his presence had been magical. Years afterward, the wife of one of the steam-shovel engineers, Mrs. Rose van Hardevald, would recall, 'We saw him...on the end of the train. Jan got small flags for the children, and told us about when the train would pass...Mr. Roosevelt flashed us one of his well-known toothy smiles and waved his hat at the children...' In an instant, she said, she understood her husband's faith in the man. 'And I was more certain than ever that we ourselves would not leave until it [the canal] was finished.' Two years before, they had been living in Wyoming on a lonely stop on the Union Pacific. When her husband heard of the work at Panama, he had immediately wanted to go, because, he told her, 'With Teddy Roosevelt, anything is possible.' At the time neither of them had known quite where Panama was located.” — 4 likes
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