"In Lightning Beneath the Sea, James M. Tabor tells how Cyrus Field's determination to overcome every adversity inspired investors, scientists, and engineers in the United State and Britain alike. He weaves together the wide-ranging stories of Field and his many collaborators into an engaging account of how--despite setbacks that would have defeated a lesser man--a successful cable was finally completed in 1866. Europe and North America have been connected ever since, and now a network of over a million kilometers of undersea fiber optic cables carries today's internet around the world--a direct descendant of Field's great vision.".