BIBFRAME Work

Title

Canal dreamers

Type

  • Monograph
  • Text

Contribution

Subject

  • POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / Diplomacy (BISACSH)
  • HISTORY / United States / 19th Century (BISACSH)
  • Canals--Central America--Planning (LCSH)
  • Canals, Interoceanic--History--19th century (LCSH)
  • Nicaragua Canal (Nicaragua)--History--19th century (LCSH)
  • Canals--Political aspects--Central America (LCSH)

Language

Classification

  • LCC: HE536 .L47 2025 (Assigner: dlc) (Status: uba)
  • DDC: 386/.445 (Assigner: dlc)
  • POL011010
  • HIS036040

Content

Supplementary content

Summary

"In the 1820s, there was a little-known quest to unite the world by building a waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. As new Spanish American nations declared independence and new canals intensified US expansion and British industrialization, many imagined the construction of an interoceanic canal as predestined. With dreams substituting for data, an international cast of politicians, lawyers, philosophers, and capitalists sent competing agents on a race to transform Lake Nicaragua, the San Juan River, and the terra incognita of Central American forests into the world's first waterway. Jessica Lepler tells the captivating story of this global journey in Canal Dreamers. Although the idea of literally changing the world by connecting the oceans proved too revolutionary for the Age of Revolution, the quest itself changed history. Canal dreams prompted political transformations, financial crisis, recognition of new countries, concern about climate change, and more. Full of adventure, corruption, far-reaching consequences, and present-day parallels, Lepler's absorbing narrative cuts through two centuries, revealing that dreams do not need to come true to make history"-- Provided by publisher.

Table of Contents

Treasure isthmus -- Fluid sovereignty -- The race to Guatemala -- Consul Savage and secret agent Mann -- The rain -- Recognition -- Corrupt bargains -- Climate changes -- Diplomats -- Nation divided -- Contract -- The race to Quincy -- Cancellation -- Visionaries -- Clinton's Ditch -- Aftermaths -- The shark.

Authorized Access Point

Lepler, Jessica M. Canal dreamers

Geographic Coverage

Admin Metadata

  • Date: 2026-09-11T20:12:05.851237+00:00
  • Agent: cbc
  • Status: c
  • Derived from: 24146760

Admin Metadata

  • Date: 2026-09-11
  • Cataloger id: Unknown
  • Description level: http://id.loc.gov/ontologies/bibframe-2-6-0/
  • Description language: eng
  • Description authentication: pcc

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