A Thread Across the Ocean
The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · July 1, 2003
Today, in a world in which news flashes around the globe in an instant, time lags are inconceivable.
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- Who it’s for
- A feat of nineteenth-century engineering makes the slow old world of communication feel startlingly close.
- Themes
- Transatlantic communication, Engineering innovation, Persistence through setbacks
- Genres
- Technology, 19th-Century History, 19th-Century America
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Today, in a world in which news flashes around the globe in an instant, time lags are inconceivable. In the mid-nineteenth century, communication between the United States and Europe -- the center of world affairs -- was only as quick as the fastest ship could cross the Atlantic, making the United States isolated and vulnerable. But in 1866, the Old and New Worlds were united by the successful laying of a cable across the Atlantic.
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John Steele Gordon's book chronicles this extraordinary achievement -- the brainchild of American businessman Cyrus Field and one of the greatest engineering feats of the nineteenth century. An epic struggle, it required a decade of effort, numerous failed attempts, millions of dollars in capital, a near disaster at sea, the overcoming of seemingly insurmountable technological problems, and uncommon physical, financial, and intellectual courage. Bringing to life an overlooked story in the annals of technology, John Steele Gordon sheds fascinating new light on this American saga that literally changed the world.
Across the Atlantic
A feat of nineteenth-century engineering makes the slow old world of communication feel startlingly close.
Come here for
- The stakes of linking America and Europe by cable
- A maritime story with engineering at its center
Expect
- A decade of effort and repeated failed attempts
- Technological obstacles, financial risk, and a near disaster at sea
Where it sits
| 19th-Century America | 59% |
|---|---|
| 19th-Century History | 39% |
| Technology | 33% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- History
- 20th-Century America
- Science Writing
- Cognitive Science
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Digital Electronics
- Technology
- Tech & Society
- History of Technology
- Authors
- John Steele Gordon
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- July 1, 2003
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Transatlantic communication · Engineering innovation · Persistence through setbacks
- Reading lane
- History