Floating West: The Erie and Other American Canals

In this delightful illustrated history, Bourne ( The View From Front Street ) fills the gap in our national memory of the 40-year-long era of canal-building that preceded the advent of rail, automobile and air transportation. Focusing on the 363-mile, 83-lock Erie Canal (completed in 1825), which stretches from Albany to Buffalo, the author depicts the backbreaking construction and operation of the canals (based on European models), and points out their importance in developing Midwest farmlands, industries and trade, as well as their effects on politics and demography. Recalling historical figures involved in waterway development--George Washington, Robert Fulton, Albert Gallatin and DeWitt Clinton, among others--he also evokes the world of the canal people: bargemen, lockkeepers and their families, and the balladeers who celebrated them. Illustrated. (June)