The compelling story of how the first transatlantic cable was laid, the people who dared, the people who lost, and the people who profited. It tells of the dramatic attempts to cross the Atlantic during the 1850s and 1860s from the first failed attempts to the project that finally succeeded. An inconceivably audacious attempt to overcome the forces of nature in the name of human progress and technology, the laying of the cable was to change forever our means of communication. The speed with which information could now be transmitted was unprecedented and revolutionized the face of news and the global economy.
The Cable: The Wire That Changed the World
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Bill B
Format:Hardcover
The Atlantic Cable, one of the great engineering feats of the Victorian era, is often thought of as an American project. While it's true that the impetus came from New York merchant Cyrus Field, and Field remained a constant force behind the cable for the 12 years it took for it to succeed, the engineering, manufacture, and laying of the cable were, for the most part, conducted by British companies. It's curious, then, that most histories of the cable have been written by Americans.
Gill Cookson, a British historian and researcher who has previously written articles on submarine telegraphy, as well as the definitive biography of cable engineer Fleeming Jenkin, is well-qualified to redress this balance with her new book, The Cable. Published in time for the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the project, The Cable tells the story of the Atlantic Cable, from the first vague proposals in the 1840s, through the pioneering days of the 1850s, to the eventual success of the 1860s. Written for a general audience, the book is a lively narrative of the failures and frustrations, the agonizing delays caused by financial, political, and technical problems, and the ultimate success of 1866, establishing the communications link between the Americas and Europe which by gradual evolution became today's fiber optic network circling the world.
As well as being a readable and entertaining history of the events, the book puts into context the development of materials, equipment, and cable-laying technique, the British and American financial and political climates which influenced the laying of the cable, and the persistence of Cyrus Field in seeing the project to its conclusion. With numerous black and white illustrations, and a full-color 32-page section of reproductions of early drawings and photographs of cable manufacture and laying, The Cable is perhaps the best view so far of this "audacious endeavour".
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By AS BUNTING
Format:Hardcover
Unlike many other "pop history" writers Ms Cookson doesn't pad-out the story of the telegraph pioneers with tangential background or anecdotes. She goes right off the mark on page one and doesn't relent for 160 pages of entertaining prose.
The characters involved are well introduced described and the story evolves from the earliest conception of an idea for linking Newfoundland to Europe through the various valiant attempts in the 1850s until eventually triumph was achieved.
It is remarkable how much electrical engineering and basic physics had to be established "on the job" and as someone with little involvement in the world of communication technology this book was an eye-opener for me.
This is the only one of about a dozen recent books that I have kept after reading, as I know I will want to read it again in a few years!
The characters involved are well introduced described and the story evolves from the earliest conception of an idea for linking Newfoundland to Europe through the various valiant attempts in the 1850s until eventually triumph was achieved.
It is remarkable how much electrical engineering and basic physics had to be established "on the job" and as someone with little involvement in the world of communication technology this book was an eye-opener for me.
This is the only one of about a dozen recent books that I have kept after reading, as I know I will want to read it again in a few years!
By butterfield8
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Looks like a boring subject...BUT NO....this is a very interesting read if you are interested in
the history of technology. Very good.
the history of technology. Very good.
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