Nothing Like It In The World-Stephen E. Ambrose

[Aa3rt]

I was wondering if any of you folks who frequent this forum had read this book. (Full title: Nothing Like It In The World: The Men Who Built The Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869) Is it historically accurate? Is it worth the time to read? Any input?

[LCJ]

Excellent book. I believe it's very accurate. I recommend it.

[joshuahouse]

All of Ambrose's stuff is acurate, however, I seem to recall that it came out that he had plagerized much of this book from someone else.

[LCJ]

Here's the real story:

http://slate.msn.com/?id=2060618

[Aa3rt]

Gentlemen-thanks for the replies. I did a "Google" search on the book and read about the accused plagarism and inaccuracies. I was thinking about the book as a Christmas gift-now I'm debating. I have a couple of Ambrose's WWII books but did not realized that he'd ventured into other areas of American history.

[Gilbert B Norman]

As I recall, the book does little justice to the intended contribution of Jim Beckwourth. Theodore Judah, the only one of the "gang', mainly comprised of the "big four" - Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins and Charles Crocker, to whom the phrase "honest" could remotely apply to, was willing to listen to Beckwourth, who had knowledge of the more favorable pass over the Sierras - the Western Pacific route of today. The others simply could not be concerned as Beckwourth was a Native American; "what does HE know?".

A book I once purchased at the Museum in Sacramento gives more "balanced' coverage of Jim Beckwourth's contributions than did Mr. Ambrose. There may also be some material available elsewhere on the web.

Just a personal thought.