Parting the Desert

Karabell writes with the authority and power of a gifted arabist...an entirely splendid book. --Simon Winchester, The New York Times Book Review <br> Karabell tells the story of a crucial development in the history of the modern world with economy and lively grace. -- Los Angeles Times<br> <br> Zachary Karabell reminds us in this concise and pleasantly digressive history [that] the waterway's creation stirred great passions in the 19th century. - The Economist<br> <br> Read Karabell's wonderfully written book to remember the dreams people had about the Middle East-and what became of them. - Newsweek <br> A fascinating saga: of diplomacy involving primarily the French and the Egyptians, of raising gigantic sums of money, of overcoming massive geographical and technological obstacles long before the invention of mechanized earth-moving equipment. . . . The business aspects sometimes seem as if they are ripped from last month's headlines. -- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel <br> A rich and engaging narrative of one of the greatest engineering feats of the nineteenth century [with] resonance beyond its time. --Alexander Stille, author of The Future of the Past <br> An absorbing, well-written narrative. . . . [Karabell gives] dimension to the personalities, eccentricities and strengths of key figures. . . . [A] fascinating account. -- San Antonio Express-News<br> <br> Karabell tells his story elegantly . . . distilling a large cast spread across several countries into a manageable one. . . . A gifted crafter of sentences, Karabell seldom wastes a sentence as he offers one well-chosen anecdote after another that sheds light on the greater drama of this important and historic construction project. -- Charleston Gazette<br> <br> A fascinating, epic, elegiac story. Zachary Karabell's account of the political intrigue, quixotic dreamers, and engineering genius that led to the construction of the Suez Canal vividly brings to life one of the underappreciated m