The National Book Award–winning epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal; a first-rate drama of the bold and brilliant engineering feat that was filled with both tragedy and triumph; told by master historian David McCullough.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.
#136530 in Books Thomas F Madden 2016-11-22 2016-11-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.30 x 1.25 x 6.30l; 1.51 #File Name: 0670016608400 pagesIstanbul City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World
Review
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Jeffrey A. Cauthengreat read12 of 14 people found the following review helpful. A highly readable general history. Could use more illustrations and maps; but informative and up to date.By lyndonbrechtI have a hard time deciding between 4 and 5 stars. I would guess most readers would give it 5 stars. My quibble with the book is that it gives little sense of what life was actually like; What did people eat? How long did they live? What work did they do? Where did fishermen fish? How was the city at dealing with sewage; garbage; noise and such? The book does address major themes such as the Nika riots; major disease outbreaks; the decay of the Janissaries; but I didn't find much sense of what living in the city was like. It also takes 250 pages to get to the Ottoman city--the chapters on Suleiman's city and "The Sultanate of Women" are quite good.The book does focus on the city; with the empires as background. The "majesty" in the title isn't brought out particularly well; and more photos and illustrations would help a lot. The ones actually in the book are rather good. The maps in the book are useful; but more maps of the region or the whole empire would be very helpful. So would an appendix listing the few dozen main characters (the book is not an endless parade of figures; like many histories are).Madden is particularly good on several aspects. I found several aspects of the book to be very informative and particularly interesting. His discussion of the re-directed Crusade that stormed the city in 1204 is the best I've ever read on the subject. His account of the Turkish conquest of the city in 1453 is nearly as good; and the last two chapters are very good; with one chapter centered on Mustafa Kemal; and the last on the current premier Erdogan once mayor of the city and born in the greater Istanbul area). This is a popular history; despite the author's impressive academic background. It's highly readable; overall.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An engaging read for anyone with an interest in historyBy Snap; Crackle and PopBecause Istanbul really was at a crossroads of the world; many threads make up its history: Greece; Alexander; Rome; Europe; Venice and of course the Ottomans. So anyone with a general interest in history might find this interesting; given the variety of topics and the engaging way they are discussed. Istanbul also provides a somewhat different perspective on Greece; Rome and Europe - in effect; a view from outside.Curiously; there isn't as much as I might have expected about what it was like to live in Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul. That's understandable; as that could be another volume (or double the length of this one); and the sources are likely uneven.
