Nothing Like It In the World : The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 |...

Nothing Like It In the World : The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 | Stephen E. Ambrose | good reading!

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Nothing Like It In...

	Nothing Like It In the World : The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 Stephen E. Ambrose Simon & Schuster, 2001 - 432 pages average customer review:based on 215 reviews view larger image
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The've Been Working On The Railroad!

"Nothing Like It In The World" tells the awe inspiring story of the building of the trans-continental railroad. This fact filled book reads like a novel. Stephen Ambrose covers a story with a breath of the continent. He addresses all aspects of the project including choices of routes, construction challenges, labor, financing and the race for government subsidies.

Ambrose explains how the transcontinental railroad interacted with so many of the issues and personalities in mid 19th century America. One of the road's greatest boosters was the railroad lawyer from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. Ambrose makes the case that the North-South rivalry prevented construction of the road until the Civil War withdrew Southern interests from political debate. Surrender at Appomatox freed an army of young laborers to lay the track among the competing communities.

Ambrose delves into the economics of the project, emphasizing the role of the Army. The increased mobility available to the Army resulted in tremendous cost savings to the government, ensuring the support of Generals Grant and Sherman..

Alternative funding schemes from government construction and ownership through private construction, either with or without government subsidy, are examined. The fact was that the government was the only organization capable of financing the road. Contrary to the image of railroad finance as a corrupt cash grab, Ambrose shows it as a win-win arrangement. Ambrose points out that, between the savings to the Army, interest paid on government bonds and increased value of government retained land, the project turned a large profit to the government. The race to lay track in order to get the most bonds and land grants spurred the companies to complete the roads with unanticipated haste.

I like books that help me see things in a differently. Ambrose reminds us that, before the development of the railroad, neither people, goods nor information could travel much faster than they had in Caesar's time.. Before this book, I had not realized the connection between the Civil War and the railroad. Now I see it both from the perspective of the dominance of Northern interests and the availability of manpower. The idea that all rails, nails and some other materials for the Central Pacific had to be transported to California from the East Coast, either around Tierra del Fuego or across Panama boggles the mind but, on reflection, is understandable. Descriptions of the tremendous construction projects of bridges and trestles demands our admiration. The tremendous shortening in the time needed for transportation shows this project to truly alter America's self image. "Nothing Like It In The World" changes my view of this crucial episode in America's history. For this it earns five stars.

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good reading!

easy reading, with lots of nitty gritty details - he tells even the politics that were being played out - many good pictures. I like how he keeps bringing in the events of the Civil War that were happening at the same time.

Informative, but repetative

Found this to be an informative read, however, it was very repetative in places. We see the same stories told over in different parts of the book. Could use more editing.

As for the writing itself, I found it a bit bland. Did not have great flow and found myself struggling to finish it.

I am interested in the subject and learned quite a bit, although was frustrated about how much more time he spent chronicling the business end of the building as opposed to the human side.

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Not the most gripping of Ambrose' work...

I am a huge fan of Stephen Ambrose and have read 6-7 of his books already w/ another 2-3 lined up and ready to go. This topic interests me greatly, but the book is a bit dry and does not hold my attention like his others...which may stem from the fact that there are so many "players"...it's sometimes tough to keep track of. Maybe I am simple....but I don't think it's his best work but it may also stem from the massive amount of work/effort that went into building the transcntl RR.....it's not a bad read, but just not my favorite. Hope this helps....and I must stress, Ambrose is prob my favorite author of all time.

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