The Suez Canal

The Suez Canal (1939) by Hugh J. Schonfield – Penguin Books

ISBN: None
Condition: Good
Published: 1939
Series: Penguin Special S39
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

There was a time when the British Empire considered it perfectly reasonable to maintain an enormous global presence, provided somebody else supplied the sunshine, the local population behaved itself, and the Royal Navy could travel between important imperial possessions without having to sail all the way around Africa.

Enter the Suez Canal, one of the nineteenth century’s most spectacular engineering achievements and one of the twentieth century’s most persistent diplomatic headaches.

Published in 1939 as Penguin Special S39, Hugh J. Schonfield’s The Suez Canal examines the remarkable waterway that transformed international shipping, altered the balance of imperial power and provided generations of politicians with opportunities to demonstrate their extraordinary talent for turning geography into an international crisis.

Constructed between 1859 and 1869, the canal connected the Mediterranean and Red Seas, eliminating the inconvenient necessity of navigating around the Cape of Good Hope. Commerce flourished, shipping routes shortened, and Britain developed an increasingly enthusiastic interest in a narrow strip of Egyptian territory that was, technically speaking, somewhere else.

Schonfield’s book appeared at an especially significant moment. Europe was descending into the Second World War, Britain’s imperial position depended heavily upon the canal, and the strategic importance of this comparatively narrow passage through the Egyptian desert could scarcely have been greater.

The result is a fascinating contemporary examination of an international artery whose political significance extended far beyond its modest geographical dimensions.

The original Penguin cover is particularly appealing, featuring the familiar red-and-white Penguin Special design and a splendid historical cartoon depicting the British lion reclining majestically while two gentlemen conduct suspiciously imperial business behind its back. The pyramids provide an appropriately Egyptian backdrop, just in case anyone was uncertain which part of the world was being discussed.

There is something wonderfully revealing about such imagery: the entire complicated business of international commerce, imperial ambition and diplomatic manoeuvring reduced to a complacent lion and a couple of gentlemen apparently negotiating the future of somebody else’s country.

Published before the Suez Crisis of 1956, this volume is especially interesting as a contemporary account from an era when British influence over the canal was still regarded as strategically indispensable.

Condition: Good. A respectable vintage Penguin paperback showing the natural signs of age, handling and previous ownership. The illustrated cover displays some wear and rubbing, entirely appropriate for a survivor approaching ninety years of age.

Naturally, there is no ISBN. In 1939, booksellers somehow identified publications without barcodes, computer systems or multinational databases.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where imperial history is examined with appropriate scepticism, vintage Penguins are warmly welcomed, and customers are not required to obtain permission from the Admiralty before completing a purchase.

An appealing collectible for enthusiasts of maritime history, British imperial affairs, the Suez Canal and early Penguin Specials.

A reminder that digging a canal is one thing. Persuading the world’s governments to stop arguing about it is quite another.

Keep browsing: See more History books Other books by Hugh J Schonfield