Although a self-propelled crane boat made the first passage of the 50-mile waterway on January 7th, and the ocean steamer, SS Ancon, made the trip on August 3rd, today marks the 95th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal.
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How Wall Street Created a Nation by Ovidio Diaz Espino.
A native of Panama, Espino, describes the origins of the Panama Canal, detailing the decades of speculation, fraud, and conspiracy that continue to influence international relations in the region. The roles of Theodore Roosevelt, the French Panama Canal Company, and Wall Street are highlighted, with clear attention to their immediate motives–profit and power. |
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The Path Between the Seas by David G. McCullough
The Path Between the Seas tells the story of the men and women involved in the struggle to construct an aquatic passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a story of astonishing engineering feats, tremendous medical accomplishments, political power plays, heroic successes, and tragic failures. |
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The Sydney B. Williamson Papers.
Sydney Bacon Williamson, Class of 1884, served as Division Engineer for the Pacific Division of the Panama Canal from 1907 to 1914. The bulk of the collection documents Williamson’s engineering assignments in Panama, South America, and the United States, and his service on the Interoceanic Canal Board. On top of biographical information, project details and correspondences there’s also some fantastic photos. |
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Cadiz to Cathay by Miles P. DuVal
A detailed history of the diplomatic issues relating to the construction of the Panama Canal including the proposal and eventual rejection of locating the canal in Nicaragua. |
Information about the opening of the Panama Canal is from the 2009 edition of Chase’s Calendar of Events.
Exams start tomorrow for everyone enrolled in Summer Session 1. We’re open late so drop in and study.
Weds – 17 June: 0800 – 0200
Thurs – 18 June: 0800 – 0200
Fri – 19 June: 0800 – 1630
Sat & Sun – 20 & 21 June: CLOSED
Mon – 22 June: 0800 – 1630
Good luck on your tests!
It’s the 65th Anniversary of the Allied Landing in Normandy. Preston Library has an extensive collection of resources related to D-Day, here are our favorites.
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From the Praeger Illustrated Military History Series comes four excellent volumes: Gold & Juno Beach, Omaha Beach, Sword Beach & The British Airborne Landings, and Utah Beach & The U.S. Airborne Landings. These slim volumes are packed with details, chronologies, maps and biographical sketches. |
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In one day the town of Bedford, Virginia lost 21 young men. Unlike other military history books Alex Kershaw’s The Bedford Boys follows the soldiers as well as their families and the hometown they left behind. |
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Not a detailed history of the Normandy Invasion, but rather a series of essays that explore topics as varied as the functioning of Allied High Command, German defensive measures and the contributions of air power. The D-Day Companion offers reader’s a big-picture view of the engagement. |
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A film so epic it needed three directors, The Longest Day, depicts both the Allied and German preparations, mistakes, and random events that shaped the outcome of one of the biggest battles in history. The star studded international cast features: John Wayne, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum. Keep your eyes peeled for a pre-James Bond Sean Connery in the role of Pvt. Flanagan, he gets the best one-liners.
Based on the meticulously researched book of the same name by former war correspondent Cornelius Ryan, also available at Preston Library. |
Summer vacation is here which means that cadets and faculty are traveling, studying and researching all over the world.
Living in a Lexington apartment instead of Barracks?
Researching at an archive in Germany?
Still want access to all of our great databases?
You got it! [click to continue…]
Every year Preston Library celebrates our graduating Cadet Assistants by dedicating a book in their honor. The graduating Cadet Assistants chooses any book in the collection and we put the dedication inside the front cover and display them in the library lobby.
Check out what our cadets selected this year…
Well cadets, we’re in the home stretch. Exams start on Saturday so you know that means two things:
1. The library will be open late so you can get in some quality studying.
and…
2. The return of Preston Library’s Coffee Break!
Last December you came, you saw, you drank hundreds (literally, hundreds) of cups of coffee a night. So, we’re bringing it back! Put it on your calendar, May 1st, the return of the coffee break.
Coffee will be available starting at 8pm (20:00hrs for those of us on military time) every evening beginning Friday, May 1st, through Friday, May 8th. So grab your travel mug and head down to Preston Library this Friday night for the best study break on Post.
Coffee and supplies have been generously donated by the Friends of Preston Library.
Attention Cadets!
Do you like free pizza?
Do you want to help Preston Library improve its services and collections?
Do we have a great deal for you!
Preston Library’s online survey will be available until Thursday, 16 April. Fill out the survey, print the last page, write your name on it, and bring it to the library.
A drawing will be held on Friday , 17 April, and 4 lucky cadets will win 2 pizzas and a 2 liter bottle of soda from the PX.
What are you waiting for? Go take the survey.
Preston Library would like to thank Dining Services for generously donating this year’s survey prizes.
Have you ever had to read the same book over and over again?
I must have been assigned Hamlet at least 3 times before I graduated from college…not that it isn’t worth revisiting the classics. I just prefer new spins and variations on a theme.
Take for example Beowulf. I love it, really, I’m probably the only one who never complained about having to read it AGAIN. But isn’t it always a little more interesting to hear the story from another perspective? And a lot of times villains are much more interesting characters than heroes. John Gardner’s Grendel is not the dark, scary, one-note monster you remember. This Grendel (although still a monster) is a fully developed character with thoughts and reasons to fuel his actions. If you didn’t have to read it for school you should check it out.
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King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies–it’s a good play and also ranks high on the tragedy-meter. There’s not much funny about a King dividing his kingdom based on which daughter loves him most and the ensuing calamity of the decision.
Or is there?
Enter Christopher Moore. Moore’s latest novel, Fool, retells King Lear using the same warped sense of humor you might remember from such novels as You Suck: A Love Story. In this version King Lear’s jester, Pocket, takes over the duty of narrator. Tragedy has never been this funny.
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| And of course the list goes on once you take into account new settings for old stories. |
| Jane Smiley’s Pultizer Prize winning A Thousand Acres is King Lear set on an Iowa Farm. |
| The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is Hamlet set in Wisconsin, with a dog. |
And my personal favorite:
West Side Story is really Romeo & Juliet, only with better dance numbers. |
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Field Training Exercises for the VMI corps of cadets will take place this Friday, 3 April, through Tuesday, 7 April.
While the cadets are otherwise engaged the library will be operating on shortened hours:
| Fri. 4/3: |
0800-2200 |
| Sat. 4/4: |
Closed |
| Sun. 4/5: |
1900-2300 |
| Mon. 4/6: |
0800-2300 |
| Tues. 4/7: |
0800-0100 |
Have a great FTX! We’ll see you when you get back for that last push to Finals!
Spring Break officially ends at 2200 this evening which means that Preston Library is resuming its regular hours of operation.
Drop by and visit. We’ll be here until 0100.
