2007-10-31 A captivating account of human endeavour

Matthew Parker's Panama Fever offers a captivating account of the building of one of the world's greatest engineering achievements, weaving together an impressive range of first hand sources which not only tell an extraordinary tale but transport the reader back in time and half way around the world to the untamed forests of Central America. Parker's style is fluid and engaging, skilfully mixing the poignant details of the lives and deaths of the individuals drawn together to built the canal with the grander themes of its place in history. It is a difficult balancing act for any historian to tell a story on so many levels but Parker carries it off with distinction and great stylistic flair. A first rate read.