The Atlantic Telegraph

Sir William Howard RussellProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 338K words
Chapters: 34

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Atlantic Telegraph (1865) by Sir William Howard RussellAuthor: Russell, William Howard, Sir, 1820-1907,Language: English, Class: TK: Technology: Electrical, Electronics and Nuclear engineering, Release Date: Oct 5, 2012

Editor's review

Published in 1865 by the British war correspondent Sir William Howard Russell, this work of reportage focuses on the laying of the transatlantic telegraph cable. Writing as an eyewitness, Russell brings a reporter's immediacy and narrative skill to the project's technical, maritime and financial dimensions, while preserving the era's public hopes and doubts about instant transoceanic communication. Its value lies not only in the history of technology but in showing how Victorians understood the new phenomenon of global connection. His accounts of life aboard ship, weather and sea conditions, construction organization and setbacks let readers move beyond textbook engineering narratives and feel the complexity and uncertainty of a grand plan in execution. A useful supplement for readers of the history of science and technology, journalism and the sea, and rewarding for anyone interested in early globalized communication. Because it was written long ago, the prose bears the marks of its time, and technical details require some background knowledge.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of the telegraph and communication technology, who can read it as a primary source
Readers studying nineteenth-century British journalism and the style of war correspondents
Enthusiasts of maritime and imperial history interested in early globalization and transoceanic communication
General readers who enjoy engineering reportage and nautical nonfiction

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic education in modern communications theory or electrical engineering
Literary readers who prefer tight plots and strong narrative; this book is strongly documentary
Beginners who struggle with English and do not wish to use辅助 tools

Reading tips

Read the introduction or publisher's note first to understand the background of the nineteenth-century Atlantic cable project before the main text
Trace the laying timeline chapter by chapter, noting key technical milestones and causes of failure
Look up unfamiliar names of people, ships and places in notes or on maps to avoid interruptions
Read alongside contemporary newspaper reports to see how public opinion viewed the cable

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which cable's laying does this book describe?

According to the material, the book focuses on the nineteenth-century transatlantic telegraph cable project, with Russell recording the process from firsthand experience. The material gives no finer details of laying batches or routes; readers can piece together the specifics from the chapters.

Can I understand it without a technical background?

Yes, but adjust your expectations. This is reportage from a journalist's perspective, focused on process, observation and period atmosphere rather than engineering principles. Skip or look up technical terms as needed; it will not hinder your grasp of the overall narrative.

What are the features of this edition?

According to the material, it is a free eBook edition released by Project Gutenberg, in English and classified under electrical engineering. It is easy to search and carry, suitable as a public-domain historical source, but usually lacks modern scholarly notes and introduction, so readers must supply background themselves.

Is it suitable as a course textbook?

It is better as supplementary course reading than a main textbook. It offers primary reportage and period context and can accompany courses in the history of technology or journalism; for teaching, instructors should add background notes and a timeline to help students understand the language and ideas of its era.

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About the author

Sir William Howard Russell Author · Irish · 1820–1907

Sir William Howard Russell (1820–1907) was an Ireland-born correspondent for The Times, widely regarded as the first modern war correspondent. His reporting during the Crimean War of 1854 exposed the hardships of the British army and helped prompt Florence Nightingale to go to the front; at the Battle of Balaclava he described the British infantry as a "thin red line," a phrase that has passed into common use. He later covered the Indian Mutiny, the American Civil War, the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, and works such as The Civil War in America, The British Expedition to the Crimea and The Atlantic Telegraph combine on-the-spot record with documentary prose. He was knighted in 1895 and died in 1907.