''The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870–1914'' (1977) is a book by the American historian

David McCullough David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States ...

, published by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

. The 698-page book contains 80 photographs, two maps and extensive source references. It won the U.S.

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

in History, the

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. The Society of American ...

, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and the

Cornelius Ryan Award The Cornelius Ryan Award is given for "best nonfiction book on international affairs" by the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC). To be eligible for this literary award a book must be published "in the US or by a US based company or distributed ...

. The book details people, places, and events involved in building the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

. The title refers to the connection between the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

oceans that the opening of the canal created. Making extensive use of letters and interviews with participants and their surviving relatives, the author presents the personal side of the difficulties of the original French effort, and the massive financial losses caused by the failure of that effort; the American negotiations with Colombia, and the machinations that brought about the independence of Panama; and the personalities and conflicts of the principal players in the American effort. This personal aspect is set against the backdrop of the gigantic scale of the construction and the enormous technical difficulties that were surmounted to reach the eventual goal, the prospective benefit of which had long been recognized. U.S. President Jimmy Carter has said that the treaties passing control of the Canal to Panama would not have passed the U.S Senate had it not been for McCullough's book. “All through the Senate debates on the issue,” McCullough observes, “the book was quoted again and again, and I’m pleased to say that it was quoted by both sides. Real history always cuts both ways."

References

External links

* Official website. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Path Between the Seas 1977 non-fiction books 20th-century history books History books about Panama History books about France History books about the United States National Book Award-winning works History books about American Civil Engineering Panama Canal Simon & Schuster books Books by David McCullough

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External links