The Johnstown Flood | 
 enlarge | Author: David Mccullough
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 3076
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 0671207148
Dewey Decimal Number: 974.877
EAN: 9780671207144
ASIN: 0671207148
Publication Date: January 15, 1987
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The history of civil engineering may sound boring, but in David McCullough's hands it is, well, riveting. His award-winning histories of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal were preceded by this account of the disastrous dam failure that drowned Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889. Written while the last survivors of the flood were still alive, McCullough's narrative weaves the stories of the town, the wealthy men who owned the dam, and the forces of nature into a seamless whole. His account is unforgettable: "The wave kept on coming straight toward him, heading for the very heart of the city. Stores, houses, trees, everything was going down in front of it, and the closer it came, the bigger it seemed to grow.... The height of the wall of water was at least thirty-six feet at the center.... The drowning and devastation of the city took just about ten minutes." A powerful, definitive book, and a tribute to the thousands who died in America's worst inland flood. --Mary Ellen Curtin
Product Description
At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of the nation's burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon. Despite repeated warnings of possible danger, nothing was done about the dam. Then came May 31, 1889, when the dam burst, sending a wall of water thundering down the mountain, smashing through Johnstown, and killing more than 2,000 people. It was a tragedy that became a national scandal.Graced by David McCullough's remarkable gift for writing richly textured, sympathetic social history, The Johnstown Flood is an absorbing, classic portrait of life in nineteenth-century America, of overweening confidence, of energy, and of tragedy. It also offers a powerful historical lesson for our century and all times: the danger of assuming that because people are in positions of responsibility they are necessarily behaving responsibly.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 76 more reviews...
First person perspecitve on history June 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This early McCullough book provides a look at one of the most catastrophic disasters to strike America. The Johnstown Flood destroyed more than 2500 lives and changed the landscape of western Pennsylvania. It moved the nation towards relief efforts and spurred a country to act on behalf of their common man. As always the author captures the people and the time in stunning clarity and really puts the reader there giving them a first person perspective on what happened to the people. After living in Pennsylvania for more than six years I found that few people really knew about the flood but this book does an excellent job of filling the blanks. If you want to see a trying story told in wonderful detail this is the place to start.
Vivid, thrilling and sad... what a great book! March 13, 2008
I've lived in Pennsylvania all of my life but I never knew too much about the Johnstown flood. Now that I've read McCullough's book, I'm hooked on the story and I'm getting to the flood museum as soon as I can.
This is an incredible story set in another time, yet I couldn't help be reminded what Katrina did to the New Orleans area and how similar these stories are. Man, in all of his wisdom, relies on those around him to ensure that their great works are safely monitored. The Johnstown flood provides historical proof that we shouldn't be quite so trusting.
Great Book February 8, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love ordering stuff off Amazon. It is so easy and affordable. I'm in the middle of this book right now but so far so good. Lots of great history.
Another great McCullough story January 21, 2008
David McCullough tells a compelling story of this tragic event. As always, he does a thorough job and gets behind just the basics of the story he is telling. It is a wonderful presentation of history.
Enjoyable read January 18, 2008
McCullough once again proves his talent for making history enjoyable with the Johnstown Flood. His book is very readable, but does not skimp out on the details. The aftermath portion of the book gets a little long, but the build-up and actual flood descriptions more than make up for it. I was entertained and taught at the same time.
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