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Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad
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Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad Paperback - 2000

by David Haward Bain

"The definitive story of the heroism and heartbreak that produced a railroad, changed the landscape of the country, and altered the horizon of the nation".--"The Wall Street Journal". 32 photos. 8 maps.


Summary

After the Civil War, the building of the transcontinental railroad was the nineteenth century's most transformative event. Beginning in 1842 with a visionary's dream to span the continent with twin bands of iron, Empire Express captures three dramatic decades in which the United States effectively doubled in size, fought three wars, and began to discover a new national identity. From self--made entrepreneurs such as the Union Pacific's Thomas Durant and era--defining figures such as President Lincoln to the thousands of laborers whose backbreaking work made the railroad possible, this extraordinary narrative summons an astonishing array of voices to give new dimension not only to this epic endeavor but also to the culture, political struggles, and social conflicts of an unforgettable period in American history.

From the publisher

After the Civil War, the building of the transcontinental railroad was the nineteenth century's most transformative event. Beginning in 1842 with a visionary's dream to span the continent with twin bands of iron, Empire Express captures three dramatic decades in which the United States effectively doubled in size, fought three wars, and began to discover a new national identity. From self--made entrepreneurs such as the Union Pacific's Thomas Durant and era--defining figures such as President Lincoln to the thousands of laborers whose backbreaking work made the railroad possible, this extraordinary narrative summons an astonishing array of voices to give new dimension not only to this epic endeavor but also to the culture, political struggles, and social conflicts of an unforgettable period in American history.

First line

Nine weeks out of New York and bound for Macao, the leaky and overburdened merchant barque Oscar struggled to round the Cape of Good Hope and was becalmed.

From the rear cover

Beginning in 1842 with a visionary's dream to span the continent with twin bands of iron, Empire Express captures three dramatic decades in which the United States effectively doubled in size, fought three wars, and began to discover a new national identity. From self-made entrepreneurs such as the Union Pacific's Thomas Durant and the Central Pacific's Collis Huntington, to era-defining figures such as President Lincoln, Generals Grant and Sherman, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman, to the thousands of nameless laborers -- especially the Irish and Chines -- whose backbreaking work made the railroad possible, this extraordinary narrative summons an astonishing array of voices to give new dimension, not only to this monumental endeavor, but also to the culture, political struggles, and social conflicts of an unforgettable period in American history.

Details

  • Title Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad
  • Author David Haward Bain
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Printing
  • Pages 848
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, New York
  • Date August 8, 2000
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780140084993 / 0140084991
  • Weight 1.94 lbs (0.88 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.25 x 6.25 x 1.75 in (23.50 x 15.88 x 4.45 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 19th Century
    • Cultural Region: Western U.S.
  • Library of Congress subjects West (U.S.) - History, Railroads - United States - History
  • Dewey Decimal Code 385.097

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Review of Books, 09/20/2001, Page 59
  • New York Times, 08/20/2000, Page 24

About the author

David Haward Bain is the author of four previous works of nonfiction, including Empire Express and Sitting in Darkness, which received a Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Award. His articles and essays have appeared in Smithsonian, American Heritage, Kenyon Review, and Prairie Schooner, and he reviews regularly for The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, and Newsday. He is a teacher at Middlebury College and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference.
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