Rating: 
Summary: Breezing across the Atlantic...
Review: It's not often that you'll read historical non-fiction that grabs you and pulls you along, but this is one of those rare such books that would make great beach reading. There were a few times when I actually wished for a bit more technical detail, but Gordon does a wonderful job of telling his story without resorting to hyperbole.
Rating: 
Summary: The Atlantic cable
Review: Most people of my generation (the "Baby Boomers") learned a bit about the Atlantic cable in school, and the name of Cyrus Field was known to us. That's about all that we knew, but this book fills in quite nicely the entire story of how the cable came into existence, and the persistence that it required to have the work completed. There were many disappointments, and they are well laid out in the book.Along with the story itself there are excellent thumb nail biographies of the major figures, and that's very helpful.This is a story of dogged goal pursuing in the face of many obstacles, and should serve as an inspiration to anyone who persists in seeking their dream, no matter what it may be.
Rating:
Summary: Persistence of vision
Review: The first transatlantic cable was a Victorian era triumph that enchanted the world with its glory. The story is one of the courage and persistence of its director-in-charge, Cyrus Field, born in 1819 to a prominent family of Massachusetts. Cyrus began the charge to span the ocean when he was only 33 years old, and after several attempts, finally managed to overcome all obstacles 14 years later. The story that unfolds is one that extolls the virtuous and honorable men who made it all happen, giants whose word was their bond.Mr. Gordon tells the story with all the enthusiasm of a child, unsullied by any trace of a fashionable cynicism or awareness of the betrayals to come. The book is nicely illustrated with lots of photos and diagrams that contribute mightily to the immediacy of reading it. I especially enjoyed the chapter in which the final triumph occurs, and, I kid you not, at one point actually had chills run along my spine. This is a story that will awe and inspire you. Cynics and phonies need not apply.
Rating:
Summary: Persistence of vision
Review: The first transatlantic cable was a Victorian era triumph that enchanted the world with its glory. The story is one of the courage and persistence of its director-in-charge, Cyrus Field, born in 1819 to a prominent family of Massachusetts. Cyrus began the charge to span the ocean when he was only 33 years old, and after several attempts, finally managed to overcome all obstacles 14 years later. The story that unfolds is one that extolls the virtuous and honorable men who made it all happen, giants whose word was their bond. Mr. Gordon tells the story with all the enthusiasm of a child, unsullied by any trace of a fashionable cynicism or awareness of the betrayals to come. The book is nicely illustrated with lots of photos and diagrams that contribute mightily to the immediacy of reading it. I especially enjoyed the chapter in which the final triumph occurs, and, I kid you not, at one point actually had chills run along my spine. This is a story that will awe and inspire you. Cynics and phonies need not apply.
Rating:
Summary: Heroic Efforts In An Age Of Heros
Review: This is a great story about the gutsy application of new technology in the pursuit of ideas considered laughable until they are proved doable. The conjunction of the development of steam ships, with the discovery of a substance called Gutta Percha, with the invention of telegraphy, reduced the time to get a message across the Atlantic from 8 weeks to near instantaneous. This book tells the gutsy story, complete with relevant as well as entertaining details.
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