The Path Between the Seas

Edward Herrmann--an AUDIOFILE Golden Voice--could hold my interest reading from the tax code, but here--by lucky chance--he's been paired with a master historian. McCullough's biography of John Adams won the Pulitzer, while this book took the National Book Award. The exquisite abridgement is studded with facts with which to astound your friends. Did you know, for instance, that it was at first a French Canal, and 20,000 men died in the attempt? Thousands of Americans would also perish working in a climate where white men "withered as cut plants in the sun" and the mosquitoes were so thick "they put out candles with their dead bodies." An amazing drama, brought thrillingly to life. B.H.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine


Legendary historian David McCullough depicts the creation of the Panama Canal with typically imperious style. Fortunately, narrator Nelson Runger brings the detailed tome down to earth with an uncomplicated, almost affectionate, delivery. Runger blithely tells the tale of the canal--a link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which came into demand with the success of the gold prospectors in California in 1848. Visionaries worldwide competed to determine where and how a Central American ship canal might be viable. The resulting effort consumed more than forty years and a multitude of lives. Runger adeptly describes the resulting villainy and triumph, as well as the sheer determination required to hack through the jungle, mountains, and rivers. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine