A Thread Across the Ocean - by John Steele Gordon (Paperback)

About the Book

Shedding fascinating new light on an American saga, Gordon explores the laying of the transatlantic cable in 1866--one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. Maps, line drawings, and halftones.

From the Back Cover

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. 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.

Review Quotes

"A Thread Across the Ocean is one of those enjoyably quirky, packed-to-the-gills little histories squeezed into only a couple of hundred pages. It's a story of business entrepreneurship, brilliantly innovative engineering, courageous seafaring, and individual passion." - MSNBC Summer Book Pick
"...the miracles of technology don't just happen at some eureka moment but require patience, persistence, ambition and luck....[an] engaging account." - Wall Street Journal
"We should not be surprised that this book is so joyously readable....a sprightly and oddly engrossing mix of technological, financial, and human history." - Chicago Sun-Times
" {Steele Gordon} proves adept at explaining technological and scientific matters in terms the lay reader can grasp, as well as the complex financial transactions necessary as Field and his colleagues sought to keep their stupendous dream alive." - Washington Post
"...celebrates the vision and perseverance of the men who -- a century before the Internet was conceived -- created the first information highway underwater." - BookPage