The recent Suez Canal blockage prompted me to reread this excellent history of its creation. It took 15 years to cut this 100-mile-long canal.
Written in 2003, Karabell prophesied that the Suez Canal is now in its twilight. (p 11 Alfred A Knopf Ed). He is proven wrong. Due to globalisation parts are now made in the Far East and shipped to Europe. The recent blockage caused tremendous disruption to this trade.
I bought this book in 2003, read it in 2011, and reread it on 28 March 2021. The story is told in chronological order. The writing is easy to read. The research was thorough.
Highly recommended. I suggest you buy the hard copy. Knopf has nice, embossed cover binding, deckle edge pages, a note on the type used, and a note on the author. Very classy. A joy for a book lover.