
The Story of the Atlantic Cable (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Engineering Triumph of the First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable in the Victorian AgeBy Charles Sir BrightLength4h
About this audiobook
The Story of the Atlantic Cable presents a concise yet richly informative account of the nineteenth-century effort to connect Europe and North America by submarine telegraph. Charles Sir Bright combines technical explanation, historical narrative, and personal recollection, tracing the cable's conception, manufacture, laying, early failure, and eventual success. The book belongs to the Victorian tradition of popular scientific writing: it translates engineering achievement into accessible prose while preserving the drama of experiment, financial risk, international cooperation, and human perseverance. Its subject also illuminates the emergence of instantaneous global communication and the technological optimism that characterized the age. Bright writes with particular authority because he was not a detached chronicler but a central participant in the Atlantic cable enterprise. As an engineer associated with submarine telegraphy, he possessed firsthand knowledge of the practical difficulties involved in designing, transporting, and submerging a cable across the ocean's immense depth. His narrative reflects both professional expertise and the period's faith in applied science, while acknowledging the failures and revisions through which innovation proceeded. The book therefore functions simultaneously as memoir, engineering history, and cultural document. This volume will reward readers interested in Victorian technology, communications history, maritime engineering, and the social consequences of scientific innovation. Bright's clear exposition makes complex apparatus and procedures intelligible, while his account of setbacks and triumphs gives the enterprise genuine narrative momentum. Recommended for students and general readers alike, it offers an illuminating portrait of how modern interconnectedness emerged from bold experimentation, collective labor, and sustained technological imagination.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreHistory
Length4 hrs
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 1, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Story of the Atlantic Cable (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5PART I
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6INTRODUCTORY
7PART II THE PIONEER LINE
8CHAPTER I EVOLUTION OF ATLANTIC TELEGRAPHY IN AMERICA AND ENGLAND
9CHAPTER II THE MANUFACTURE OF THE LINE
10CHAPTER III THE FIRST START
11CHAPTER IV PREPARATIONS FOR ANOTHER ATTEMPT
12CHAPTER V THE TRIAL TRIP
13CHAPTER VI THE STORM
14CHAPTER VII THE RENEWED EFFORT
15CHAPTER VIII “FINIS CORONAT OPUS”
16CHAPTER IX THE CELEBRATION
17CHAPTER X WORKING THE LINE
18CHAPTER XI THE INQUEST
19PART III INTERMEDIATE KNOWLEDGE AND ADVANCE
20CHAPTER XII OTHER PROPOSED ROUTES
21CHAPTER XIII EXPERIENCE, INVESTIGATION, AND PROGRESS
22PART IV COMMERCIAL SUCCESS
23CHAPTER XIV THE 1865 CABLE AND EXPEDITION
24CHAPTER XV SECOND AND SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT
25CHAPTER XVI RECOVERY AND COMPLETION OF THE 1865 CABLE
26CHAPTER XVII JUBILATIONS
27CHAPTER XVIII SUBSEQUENT ATLANTIC LINES
28CHAPTER XIX ATLANTIC CABLE SYSTEMS OF TO-DAY
29Analysis
30Reflection
31Memorable Quotes