Customer Reviews

Portrait of the Panama Canal

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not only does Friar present a wonderful historical synopsis of the Canal, he also paints a verbal picture of life as a child growing up in the Canal Zone. The photographs of the Canal are some of the best I have seen. The captions are not "one-liners," they actually describe the what the reader is seeing in the photograph. The reader should come away with a very good knowledge of Panama Canal history and an understanding of how the Canal operates all within the 2 to 3 hours it takes to read the book.

I read this book prior to transiting the Canal. It covers history and operations in precise detail and the numerous dramatic photos make it a wonderful souvenir of the Canal. There are other books that are very long and heavy to take with you.This book has all the information in easily readable style for those who don't have time for a thick book on this subject. Reads like an adventure story.

Friar does an excellent job of giving the reader an overview of all of the major events that lead to the canal's existence. If you are interested in learning the details of the canal's construction story, then I would recommend David McCullough's epic work, "The Path Between the Seas." But, for an overview, this book is a good resource.

The pictures included in the book are very good and add a good visual complement to the text.

An accurate account of current operations along with an historically correct and dramatic story of the effort that went into the creation of the Panama Canal which was the "moon shot" of its day. The book contains dozens of colorful pictures showing the Isthmus of Panama, the Canal Zone and the Canal. It features impressive photos of Gailliard Cut, the locks and the many Indian tribes who live in Panama

Dramatic photos of the Panama Canal with concise text featuring the history of the creation of the Panama Canal which reads like an adventure story BR One of the few books that I have seen that also provides information on the Canal Zone along with some photos of tourist attractionsBR I recommend this book highly for those who want to learn more about this vital international waterway as it is more and more in the news due to the fact that it will be transferred to Panama in l999

I was waiting for old pictures of the construction days and not for the same history of the canal construction.

I found the book to be very informative with terrific illustrations and pictures.

I purchased this book while transiting the Canal on the maiden voyage of the Norwegian Star . This was a historic trip, as the ship was the largest tonnage vessel to transit the canal. It also paid the largest fee of $214,000. The ship was designed to exacting specifications and barely cleared by width and length. To read the book regarding the canals history while transiting at the same time was exciting! The book's read is light and most informative. It added a great deal for me to what was already a "Trip of a Lifetime". I would highly recommend this book to anyone of any age. Truly Awesome!!!