The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, at the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible

Simon Winchester, the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Atlantic and The Professor and the Madman, delivers his first book about America: a fascinating popular history that illuminates the men who toiled fearlessly to discover, connect, and bond the citizenry and geography of the U.S.A. from its beginnings.

How did America become “one nation, indivisible”? What unified a growing number of disparate states into the modern country we recognize today? To answer these questions, Winchester follows in the footsteps of America’s most essential explorers, thinkers, and innovators, such as Lewis and Clark and the leaders of the Great Surveys; the builders of the first transcontinental telegraph and the powerful civil engineer behind the Interstate Highway System. He treks vast swaths of territory, from Pittsburgh to Portland, Rochester to San Francisco, Seattle to Anchorage, introducing the fascinating people who played a pivotal role in creating today’s United States.

Throughout, he ponders whether the historic work of uniting the States has succeeded, and to what degree. Featuring 32 illustrations throughout the text, The Men Who United the States is a fresh look at the way in which the most powerful nation on earth came together.

Winchester structures this sweeping U.S. history around five classical elements that forged the nation:

• The American Frontier: Trace the path of Lewis and Clark and other essential explorers as they navigate the rivers and forests of a continent waiting to be known.
• Mapping the West: Discover the stories of the Great Surveys and the geologists who mapped the nation’s vast resources, laying the groundwork for settlement and expansion.
• America's Canals and Rivers: Follow the creation of crucial waterways like the Erie Canal that connected the nation's heartland to its coasts, revolutionizing trade and travel.
• The Transcontinental Railroad: Experience the monumental effort to bind the country with steel, from the visionaries who planned the routes to the builders of the transcontinental railroad and the Interstate Highway System.
• A History of Technology: Meet the innovators behind the transcontinental telegraph, the telephone, and the modern internet—the metal wires and invisible signals that truly made America “one nation, indivisible”.

For more than two centuries, E pluribus unum—"Out of many, one"—has been featured on America's official government seals and stamped on its currency. But how did America become "one nation, indivisible"? Simon Winchester addresses these questions, bringing together the breathtaking achievements of those American pioneers who helped, with their multitudes of callings, to forge and unify the new nation, and who toiled fearlessly to discover, connect, and bond the citizens and the geography of the United States from its very beginnings. At once intimate and deeply inspiring, this sweeping narrative details how these daring men from three centuries, some famous, some forgotten, left their everlasting mark on America's natural landscapes through courage, ingenuity and hard work.

The Men Who United the States is an unforgettable journey of unprecedented scope across time and open spaces, providing a new lens through which to view American history, led by one of the most gifted writers in the English language.

“The tales he weaves were more engaging than most contemporary fiction.” - Zócalo Public Square

“The fun here is in Winchester’s exuberant enthusiasm for his new country and for the characters he has found who helped shape it.” - Washington Post

“Winchester provides surprising insights into our social history, further enriching his narrative with accounts of his personal odysseys around the country. The results are highly recommended for public and school libraries and all readers looking for new and stimulating perspectives on the history of America.” - Library Journal

“A rousing tribute to the alliances, agencies, and inventions - from Lewis and Clark to the Internet - that underpin our more perfect union. A stunning, highly original feast of a book.” - STACY SCHIFF, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Cleopatra

“Simon Winchester never disappoints, and The Men Who United the States is a lively and surprising account of how this sprawling piece of geography became a nation. This is America from the ground up. Inspiring and engaging.” - Tom Brokaw

“The subtitle promises readers a sackful of exciting tales-and the author delivers. This is a clever, engaging and original look at what would seem well-trodden historical paths; but Winchester, delightfully, breaks a fresh trail.” - The Economist

“A most genial storyteller” - Las Vegas Weekly

“[I]nformative and absorbing” - The Oregonian (Portland)

“He … freshens U.S. history by refusing to tell it through the usual suspects.” - Seattle Times

“Entertaining. ... A pleasure.” - New York Times Book Review

“An elegantly written account... filled with fascinating information.” - Boston Globe

“An impeccably researched, erudite, well-told tale, peppered with occasional grace notes.” - Miami Herald

“Winchester has found a thematic way to tell this familiar story so it seems fresh and informative, even fascinating.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“[M]esmerizing and fascinating… Mr. Winchester is a master storyteller, and all the individuals, places, and events that he passionately writes about come to life in exquisite detail.” - New York Journal of Books

“Vivid, valuable. ... An extraordinary, propulsive tale.” - Wall Street Journal

“What makes this book so enjoyable is that he ties the development of these advances to some brilliant but idiosyncratic personalities.” - BookPage