World History Series - Building the Transcontinental Railroad

Barter, James

ISBN 10: 1560068809 ISBN 13: 9781560068808

Publisher: Lucent Books, 2001

Dynamiting through granite mountains and surviving Indian attacks to lay the first iron rails across America are only two of the reasons the transcontinental railroad is considered America's greatest engineering achievement of the 19th century. The reasons tens of thousands of men labored with sledge hammers and dynamite to link the East and West and the impact this fabled railroad had on the face of America will forever be fascinating historical topics.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

"Fledgling historians should find this title a good, well-documented read."
-- School Library Journal (September 2001) (School Library Journal 20010901)

"Kids looking for background into contemporary Middle East conflicts will do welll to start here."
-- Booklist (May 2003) (Booklist 20030501)

"There is a good deal of information packed into the brief text and both report writers and the general readers will be well served."
-- School Library Journal (September 2002) (School Library Journal 20020901)

"Well designed for research and reports, this account includes primary and secondary source quotations, all fully footnoted. Most of these quotes are in separate boxes with source information included so readers do not need to flip back and forth. This informative, approachable text will be useful in most collections."
-- School Library Journal (August 2002) (School Library Journal 20020801)

"Captioned black-and-white photographs and reproductions complement the text. This is an excellent title."
-- School Library Journal (May 2002) (School Library Journal 20020501)

"The writing is clear and easy for beginners on the subject. Useful for reports."
-- School Library Journal (April 2002) (School Library Journal 20020401)

"Vivid descriptions, quotes from the participants, and newspaper accounts written by war correspondents bring readers to the battlefront in this well-documented title."
-- School Library Journal (January 2002) (School Library Journal 20020101)

"These titles offer a great deal of useful and readable information. The information is presented clearly and is suitable for reports and for leisure reading."
-- School Library Journal (January 2002) (School Library Journal 20020101)

"The strengths of the book include its parenthetical definitions, maps, footnotes, substantial extracts from primary sources, the annotated bibliography, and a time line."
-- School Library Journal (March 2001) (School Library Journal 20010301)

"This series addition lives up to the high standards achieved by its predecessors. The book is enriched by numerous, well-chosen quotations from primary and secondary sources, and by a wealth of interesting black-and-white photos and reproductions. A fine source for beginning research."
-- School Library Journal (March 2001) (School Library Journal 20010301)

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-8-Linking the people, geography, politics, and economics of a huge endeavor, this book is a window into the opening and settling of the American West and the efforts of the U.S. government to fulfill its Manifest Destiny. Famous names are interspersed throughout the text-Daniel Webster's opposition to Western development; Abraham Lincoln's support of the building of the transcontinental railroad; and the roles of Theodore Judah, Leland Stanford, and George Pullman, to name a few. The book presents the positive and negative results of the railroad, and corruption is not overlooked. The connection to immigration is explored, from the use of Chinese labor and its consequences to the enticement of immigrants by false advertising once the railroads were built. The competition between the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific companies is clearly and impartially explained, with each side's difficulties described. Some topics, such as scalping, the Donner Party, and the Chinese Exclusion Act, are covered in sidebars. Captioned black-and-white photographs and reproductions complement the text. This is an excellent title not just for reports, but also for understanding how the West was settled and the influence of the railroad in promoting America's growth as an industrialized nation.
Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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