July 2005    

Wedding of the Waters: The Erie Canal and the Making of a Great Nation Author: Peter L. Bernstein Publisher: W.W. Norton $25.95 Cloth (448 P.) ISBN: 0393052338 B&T         YBP Reviewed by Marcia Amidon Lüsted, Statusing Most Americans have heard of the Erie Canal, at least in passing, but very few of us know exactly how monumental an undertaking it was to construct. The Erie Canal was dug across 363 miles between Lake Erie and the Hudson River, and in most cases it was dug using only the most simple machinery and unskilled local laborers. When it was finished, it not only increased trade and formed many new towns along its route, but also linked the expanding West with the rest of the country and helped cement them together as one nation. Bernstein does an excellent job of exploring all the politics and wrangling necessary to secure funding for the canal, as well as the amazing feats involved in constructing the waterway itself. Particularly fascinating are the accounts of the construction of five stair step locks that bring the canal up the seventy foot cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, as well as huge bridges that carry the waterway across un-navigable rivers and gorges. His final account of the ceremonies and celebrations surrounding the opening of the canal and the "wedding of the waters" makes it difficult to believe that most of this canal is no longer functioning. It would be nice to have more pictures of the canal during construction, use, and in the present day, as well as a chapter discussing the fate of the canal. Overall, this is not a dry history book, but rather an exciting account of what is still one of America's most amazing accomplishments. Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.