Portrait of the Panama Canal

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

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.

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.

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

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