BUNAU-VARILLA, Philippe.

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Panama: Le Passé, Le Présent, L'Avenir. First and sole edition, presentation copy, signed on the dedication page "Hommage à Monsieur Gournay, curé de Vertou. P. Bunau-Varilla, 12 Septembre 1893". This comprehensive study was written by one of the driving forces behind the Panama Canal alongside de Lesseps. Most institutions list the text volume alone, lacking the elaborate prospectus volume.Bunau-Varilla (1859-1940) was first sent to Panama in 1884 by the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interocéanique, where he rose to the position of chief engineer of the new canal. The attempt failed in 1889 and the company was dissolved, after which he wrote a number of books to document and build support for the project's resumption. In this volume, he both describes the work completed so far and his plan to complete the canal with locks. He "distributed copies of his book to the French Parliamentaries. However, it did not meet any audience... [as] the Champer of Deputies' members did no want to be involved again in the burning subject of the Panama Canal" (Loizillon, p. 333)Bunau-Varilla tried again in 1894 and soon became a prominent figure in US-Panama relations. In particular, when Colombia refused to ratify a treaty granting the United States rights to build the canal, he encouraged the Panamanians to declare independence and his wife designed their new flag. He later signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, giving the US control over the canal despite local protests. The canal would cont

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