The Path Between the Seas
Encyclopedia
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870—1914 is a 1977 book by noted historian
David McCullough
that details the people and places involved in building the Panama Canal
. The title is in reference to the connection developed between the Atlantic Ocean
and the Pacific Ocean
.
The book, published by Simon and Schuster, won the National Book Award
for history (1978) , the Francis Parkman Prize
(1978) http://www.mnstate.edu/schwartz/parkman.htm, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award (1978) http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1978/6/1978_6_107.shtml, and the Cornelius Ryan Award
(1977) http://www.opcofamerica.org/opc_awards/archive/byaward/award_ryan.php.
The 698 page book contains 80 photographs, 2 maps and extensive source references.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
David McCullough
David McCullough
David Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award....
that details the people and places involved in building the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. The title is in reference to the connection developed between the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
The book, published by Simon and Schuster, won the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
for history (1978) , the Francis Parkman Prize
Francis Parkman Prize
The Francis Parkman Prize, named after Francis Parkman, is awarded by the Society of American Historians for the best book in American history each year. Its purpose is to promote literary distinction in historical writing...
(1978) http://www.mnstate.edu/schwartz/parkman.htm, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award (1978) http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1978/6/1978_6_107.shtml, and the Cornelius Ryan Award
Cornelius Ryan Award
The Cornelius Ryan Award is given for "best nonfiction book on international affairs" by the Overseas Press Club of America . To be eligible for this literary award a book must be published "in the US or by a US based company or distributed for an American audience" during the year prior to that...
(1977) http://www.opcofamerica.org/opc_awards/archive/byaward/award_ryan.php.
The 698 page book contains 80 photographs, 2 maps and extensive source references.
Reviews
- David McCullough's history of this extraordinary construction job between the Atlantic and Pacific is everything history ought to be. It is dramatic, accurate...and altogether gripping. --The Washington Star
- Solid, entertainingly written and fair-minded...McCullough unravels the complicated and sometimes deliberately obscured story that lies behind the Panama Canal. --The Washington Post Book World
- A chunk of history full of giant-sized characters and rich in political skullduggery. --Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- In the hands of McCullough, the digging of the great ditch becomes a kind of peacetime epic...The book will absorb you...You won't want to put it down once you've started reading it. --The New York Daily News
- McCullough is a storyteller with the capacity to steer readers through political, financial, and engineering intricacies without fatigue or muddle. This is grand-scale, expert work. --NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Detailed release information
- The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870—1914, McCullough, David, Simon & Schuster New York 1977 Octavo, pp. 698, ISBN 0-671-22563-4, ISBN 0-671-24409-4 (Pbk.)