History of the Panama Canal
352997
Anyone interested in the Panama Canal or thinking about taking a cruise to the Panama Canal, the book "The Path Between The Seas" by David McCullough is a must read.  The book is highly interesting to read, factual, and carefully covers the history from 1870 when the French started the project until 1914 when the Americans finished it.  I highly recommend this book.
826259
The book is more of a journal or personal account of life and times in pre-Panama ownership of the canal. It is an interesting perspective and adds to the understanding of the turn over of the canal to Panama.
1805441
I bought this book for my husband prior to going on a cruise through the Panama Canal. He loved it. It is a very detailed book, so if you want a quick read, this is not it. They sold this book on the ship, but he was glad to have read it before.
1671966
I read the book just prior to traveling through the Panama Canal.  The trip was so much more meaningful with the knowledge I had gained from reading the book.
504037
I really enjoy reading this book about the Panama Canal, so much information, actual facts, so very interesting, educational and historical.  I had seen and visited "Corte Culebra" and had Travel the Canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic, visited the Museum of the Canal, but didn't knew so many of the historical facts.
2212690
This book provides a perspective of the challenges encountered and ultimately conquered in the building of the canal. There are many back stories and hidden agendas revealed in the story of 44 years of construction. The book does not dig too deeply into the engineering design details. "The Path" tells more of the politics and human costs of the biggest and most significant construction project ever attempted at that time. We will be sure to bring this book along for reference on our cruise.
2650207
The history of the Panama Canal, and it's construction is very unique in itself.  The references of all the French names (although I couldn't pronounce all of them) were very interesting and kept me hooked.  I'm a history buff, so naturally, I like to read historical books.
After nearly a hundred years of owning the Panama Canal, on December 31, 1999, the United States gave the Panama Canal back to the nation of Panama.  When Europeans first began to explore the possibilities of creating a pathway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the nation of Panama did not exist; it was a part of Columbia.
When prospectors discovered gold in California in 1848, all that changed the author, David McCullough writes in the book.  The Panama Railroad, at the time, was the most high-priced stock listed on the New York Exchange.  Building a canal through this area that would be approximately fifty-one miles seemed to be an easy situation for investors, but it turned out that it took over four decades and an army of workers to complete the canal.  In the book it mentioned that enough soil, rock, and dirt was removed to build a pyramid a mile high.
When the construction began, McCullough notes that the leader of the project was Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went bankrupt.  After President Theodore Roosevelt orchestrated the purchase of the canal, the United States entered the picture.  A revolution took place that removed Panama from the rule of Columbia.
David McCullough is a very unique and interesting author and writer, and he kept me captivated while reading this book.
The historical aspecets of the book are accurate as far as my research has gone on the Panama Canal.  This book is just fasinating because of the history that is involved.  When Theodore Roosevelt bought the canal and a revolution occured between Columbia and the United States, the United States won, and the canal became ours.  But remember, on 12/31/99, we returned the canal to its rightful owner, the nation of Panama.
4789893
I found Mr. McCullough's book about the building of the Panama Canal to be  well written, extra-well researched, and highly entertaining!  I would  recommend this book to anyone who truly wants to know what it took to build  such an engineering marvel. Having lived in Panama twice and visited on  many occasions, I can attest to the fact Mr. McCullough's book is THE  SOURCE for accurate information on the canal and it's builders (both French  and American efforts).  I would also recommend purchasing the NOVA video,  which Mr. McCullough narrates, called "A Man, A Plan, A Canal,  Panama".  He even quotes out of his own book on screen! I've never  read a book so intricately and fastidiously researched.  MUST READING for  the true Canal enthusiast.
2850044
Planning a trip down today's well developed Erie Canal is in stark contrast to the description of what such a trip would have been like in 1830. Donna Winters provides the setting for such a comparison. After reading The Blue Bird of Brockport, my  appreciation for not only those who were canallers but also all who moved our great country forward in those days grew to new heights and understanding. Thanks Donna for making my pending trip via boat through the Erie canal come alive with not only what to expect along the way today but participate through eyes of the owners and crew of The Blue Bird of Brockport.  I will now have two trips in one!
3487458
'Canal Boat Children' is a remarkable study made in the 1930's surveying the children who lived on the canal boats in Ohio, Pa, and NY. It makes you think about the advantages our current school system provides children. For the most part these children had no formal education. It also makes you appreciate how hard people (children as well as adults) worked in the 19th century. Although written at the end of the canal boat era, the booklet gives you the sense of life on the canals from their inception. This is not a long document, and can easily be read in an evening. It includes interesting photographs.
630234
We took a Panama Canal cruise recently and used this guide throughout our three week cruise and found it very useful. The history of the canal in this book is especially riveting when you learn of the sacrifice of so many people who perished while building the canal. The background on the engineering challenges gives a good picture of why it took so long for a canal to be built. There are over 70 pages on the history, construction and operation of the canal which, along with the numerous maps of the canal (including a huge pullout map) and dozens of archival photos, really takes you back to the time of this engineering marvel. The book also had all the ports, at least on our itinerary, we visited before and after the canal segment. Great book!
695243
I used this guide on a bike trip on the C&O canal this year.  It is too big to take along each day, rather I found it to be useful to read before each day's ride to learn about what we'd see that day.  It does a great job with the history of the canal and you really will learn a lot if you use it as a trip companion.  I also used it in trip preparation to try and gage each days trip.
4967158
What better book to read while you are in Panama than this one. Although I "read" the abridged version and also bought the spanish unabridged version right there in Panama, the book is a fabulous account of history, engineering and determination. The building of the canal was far more difficult than the sea-level Suez Canal, beginning with the French company in 1881, finished by the United States in 1914 and curiously inaugurated the same month the first world war exploded, August 1914. The book provides some interesting insights, such as the formation of Panama with the aid of the United States, the little difference of sea level between the pacific and atlantic, difficulties in the construction of the canal and even how the people dealt with some infections like the malaria and yellow fever, typical diseases of this area. You cannot get bore with this book.
1811000
This book provided me with the history of the construction of the Panama Canal that I was completely unaware of prior to reading it.  I did not know about the French attempt and failure to construct the canal, about the diseases that killed so many people working on the canal, about the original desire of the U.S. to construct the canal in Nicaragua, about the revolution to break away Panama from Columbia with the help of the U.S. so that our country could proceed with the building of the canal, or about all of the trouble that the French and the U.S. had with floods and mud slides in the construction process and the length of time it took to build the canal.  The engineering work on the canal locks was unbelievable.  The book was full of facts and information about the canal that I otherwise would never have known.  After reading the book, I have added to my bucket list a cruise through the Panama Canal, and I truly intend to do it in the next few years.
2849249
Serves as a perfect background for anyone planning a cruise through the Panama Canal.  Insightful history of all the men involved with the creation of the canal and an effective portrayal of the perseverance needed to accomplish such a monumental engineering feat.
2918490
The best book for background about the canal and its construction.  McCullough covers every possible perspective to bring the undertaking to life.  I only wish he could have continued to the present day.
4800691
An amazing book about the full story of the Panama  Canal, will not find this detail in panamanian history books without being boring. Most entertaining book I've read in a while about Panama history.