The Cable: The Wire That Changed the World

by Gillian Cookson

This is the compelling story of how the first transatlantic cable was laid—the people who dared, the people who lost, and the people who profited. It tells of the dramatic attempts to cross the Atlantic during the 1850s and 1860s, from the first failed attempts to the project that finally succeeded. An inconceivably audacious attempt to overcome the forces of nature in the name of human progress and technology, the laying of the cable was to change forever our means of communication. The speed with which information could now be transmitted was unprecedented and revolutionized the face of news and the global economy.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Gillian Cookson is the County Editor for Durham of the Victoria County History of England and is a lecturer at Durham University. She lives in Yorkshire.

Reviews

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Technically interesting, but boringly written - could have been much more passionate about the players.

[Caolan McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred Arthur C Clarke's telling of this tale in the first part of 'How the World Was One'. This book has a good detail but can be dry.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive but sometimes technical account of this feat of ingenuity