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.
By:
David H. Bain
Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 129mm,
Spine: 44mm
Weight: 40.404kg
ISBN: 9780140084993
ISBN 10: 0140084991
Pages: 816
Publication Date: 01 September 2000
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
"Empire Express - David Haward Bain Part I: 1845-57: A Procession of Dreamers 1: ""For All the Human Family"" 2: ""Who Can Oppose Such a Work?"" 3: ""I Must Walk Toward Oregon"" 4: ""The Great Object for Which We Were Created"" 5: ""An Uninhabited and Dreary Waste"" Part II: 1860-61: Union, Disunion, Incorporation 6: ""Raise the Money and I Will Build Your Road"" 7: ""There Comes Crazy Judah"" 8: ""The Marks Left by the Donner Party"" 9: ""The Most Difficult Country Ever Conceived"" 10: ""We Have Drawn the Elephant"" Part III: 1863: Last of the Dreamers 11: ""Speculation Is as Fatal to It as Secession"" 12: ""I Have Had a Big Row and Fight"" Part IV: 1864: Struggle for Momentum 13: ""First Dictator of the Railroad World"" 14: ""Dancing with a Whirlwind"" 15: ""Trustees of the Bounty of Congress"" Part V: 1865: The Losses Mount 16: ""The Great Cloud Darkening the Land"" 17: ""If We Can Save Our Scalps"" 18: ""I Hardly Expect to Live to See It Completed"" Part VI: 1866: Eyeing the Main Chance 19: ""Vexation, Trouble, and Continual Hindrance"" 20: ""The Napoleon of Railways"" 21: ""We Swarmed the Mountains with Men"" 22: ""Until They Are Severely Punished"" Part VII: 1867: Hell on Wheels 23: ""Nitroglycerine Tells"" 24: ""Our Future Power and Influence"" 25: ""They All Died in Their Boots"" 26: ""There Are Only Five of Us"" Part VIII: 1868: Going for Broke 27: ""More Hungry Men in Congress"" 28: ""Bring on Your Eight Thousand Men"" 29: ""We Are in a Terrible Sweat"" 30: ""A Man for Breakfast Every Morning"" Part IX: 1869: Battleground and Meeting Ground 31: ""A Resistless Power"" 32: ""We Have Got Done Praying"" Part X: 1872-73: Scandals, Scapegoats, and Dodgers Epilogue: ""Trial of the Innocents"" Notes Bibliography Index"
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.
Reviews for Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad
"""Rich with scandal, tragedy, and visionary characters"".-- SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE"
