Rating: 
Summary: Truly wonderful
Review: A truly wonderful look at a great American epoch. Ambrose is in his usual fine form.
Rating: 
Summary: not good history
Review: By way of introduction,I belong to the Native Sons of the Golden West, the Sacramento Corral of Westerners, Int.,and am a contributing patron of the California History Room of the California State Library Foundation. Additionally, I was selected by the Caifornia State Parks to exhibit original construction rail at the California Sesquicentennial, held in Sacramento in Sept., 2000. I live in Newcastle, Cal., just 2 miles from the old C.P. terminus, and have toured most of the old grade from Promontory Summit to Sacramento, Cal., both by 4 wheel vehicle and by foot. Reading this book by Mr. Ambrose left me with a serious case of indigestion, due to the mis-statements of historical fact and geographic location. By actual count, I found 39 pages of text that contain errors, considering that the book has but 439 pages, the error rate is awkward, to say the least. The book by David H. Bain, by contrast, has but 6 errors that I could document, all of which were minor in nature. My vote goes to Bain for the best history.
Rating: 
Summary: Honorable Mention
Review: I am writing this review from the perspective of someone that has read almost all of Ambrose's books. Although this book is not his best piece of work, I beleive very few readers will be dissapointed with their purchase. In "Nothing Like It In The World", Ambrose breathes fresh thoughts and analysis into familiar facts. The reader will not only come to better appreciate the awesome task of constructing a "Steel Road" across the plains, but will also benefit from the Author's vast knowledge of 19th Century American History. The story presented in this book is about far more than an improved communication link, it is about the fulfillment of the "Manifest Destiny" fever that gripped the American Republic since its earliest days. It is the task of any history writer to take the reader to a different place and time; Ambrose accomplishes this by spinning this tale in a manner that puts the reader where he belongs, at the center of action.
Rating:
Summary: Readable Popular History
Review: Ambrose offers us a straight-up "great man" history of the building of the first transcontinental railway in North America. We learn about the Big Four of California (Huntington, Hopkins, Stanford, and Crocker) and how they risked their own personal fortunes to pierce the Sierra Nevada. We see the good (Dodge), the bad (drunks, gamblers, killers), and the weird ("Doc" Durant) build the longer road from Omaha to Promontory, Utah.As a straight history it probably lacks detail and scholarly detachment, but as a popular history -- a term which does not deserve its recent perjorative inflection -- it is superb. I'm not a railroad buff, and I've never looked into this in detail before. I constantly found myself surprised by Ambrose's insights into the men (and a few women), the geography, the politics, and the geo-political meaning of building a railroad to the Pacific Ocean. Some of Ambrose's descriptions were very moving. For example, he writes that between Omaha, Nebraska, and the Pacific Ocean along the route of the railroad, the only permanent white settlement was Salt Lake City. They were not only building a railroad, they were building one across a roadless wilderness. I was shocked to learn of the degree and amount of warfare between the plains Indians and the railroad companies (the railroad won the war, but it lost lots of battles). I was stunned, amazed, and moved by the accounts of the Chinese laborers drilling through the granite of the Sierra Nevada with hand-held drills, sledge hammers, and black powder. The hardships, difficulties, and drive of the construction teams is awe-inspiring, and Ambrose makes it very real. As a survey of the building of the transcontinental railroad, I think this is a superior effort. It has made me want to seek out other sources with more detailed information. What more can you ask of a "popular" history?
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointingly superficial
Review: I picked this up anticipating as fine a book as "Undaunted Courage," but was seriously disappointed. It is quite superficial; even acknowledging Ambrose's desire to focus on those who actually built the railroad, the business and political aspects are given short shrift. Ambrose (or, rather, his cadre of researchers) has done a pretty good job of digging up information about what it was like to actually be building the railroad, and the various personal anecdotes are the best part of the book. But it suffers from very poor editing (several anecdotes are repeated nearly verbatim, and at least one blatant error exists) and has the feel of something that Ambrose knocked off quickly because his editor wanted him to write it. But it did picque my interest sufficiently to make me want to read a more serious treatment of the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best
Review: I have read many of Stephen Ambrose's books and have liked them. This one, however, is not his best. He frequently repeats himself. I even found one paragraph repeated verbatim. While he has some interesting insights, the book seemed much more superficial than his others such as Undaunted Courage.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Editing
Review: Anyone who enjoys Stephen Ambrose would be well advised to skip this book. It suffers from terrible editing that produced a very repetive narrative with numerous and inexplicable errors.
Rating:
Summary: Big Projects by Big men.
Review: This book should be required reaing by every High School and College Student, not only read, but discussed, in the light of what effect this railroad had on our country. People need to get a handle on where we came, how we got here, and the sacrifice and sweat put forth by ordinary people working on a great project. Mr Ambrose has done a masterful job of bringing together all of the different things that went into the building of this Railroad, from the backroom dealings of the " Money Men" to the hard back breaking work done by " Charlie Clocker's" Chinee, and the Irish. Must reading for anyone who is interested in things more meaningful than " "Big Brother"and 'Suvivor"
Rating:
Summary: A fine reference and guide
Review: I enjoyed this book for enlightening me on this tremendous project. Ambrose has a way of telling a story that keeps me interested. I recommend the book.
Rating:
Summary: Not What I Expected From America's Best Historian
Review: I am a Stephen Ambrose fan...read his biographies of Eisenhower and Nixon. Read his WWII books. I thought Undaunted Courage to Be the most remarkable book ever. This one however is not up to his standards. In fact, I would call it a disapointment. Passages exist that remind you that Ambrose is telling a story but they are too far apart. The account is redundant. The same anecdotes are repeated sometimes two and three times. I was left wanting to know more. He just did not do a good job. I thought the subject deserved a much better treatment. The work seems rushed and in some instances the information is wrong. There is a reference of Lee's Soldiers finding McClellan's plans for the Battle of Antietam when in fact just the opposite is the case. Greg Strauser St Louis
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