The authors' text and illustrations provide a vivid picture of how the well-established traditions of the sailing ship were adapted to promote the development of the paddle ships and the early screw vessels.
Since the end of the nineteenth century there has been a stunning succession of transatlantic liners, from the White Star Line's Oceanic of 1899 to the Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 of 2004. These floating palaces often contained luxurious staterooms, ballrooms and lounges for the rich, and noticeably more modest and basic accommodation for poorer travellers. Their designs and powerplants were often cutting-edge as each competed to be the largest, most luxurious and fastest ship on the Atlantic. As the tides of passenger demand rose and fell through the years and the world plunged twice into global conflict, these ships had to adapt to survive. Many of these vessels – including Mauretania, Olympic, the first Queen Mary and France – had long and glorious careers; others – Titanic, Lusitania and Normandie among them – suffered tragic endings. J. Kent Layton describes the heyday of the superliners and explains what life was like for passengers, both rich and poor.
For ages 7-12. So begins this well crafted chapter book recounting the adventures of boy Paul, travelling from New York to France on the legendary ocean liner Normandie. Unlike the tragic stories of the passengers on the ill-fated Titanic, this one is filled with the pleasures and novelties of life at sea, with friends made and several unexpected adventures for Paul to retell for the rest of his life. As he finishes his tale with nostalgia for the lost world, the reader will share his memories and know something of the look, feel and smell of the ship, and the excitement of being a passenger on a great ocean liner in its glory days. Full-colour illustrations are well-spaced throughout he book, they recreate the grand details of the liner, from its dining room to its engine room. Thoroughly researched by the Normandie, they bring the ship vividly to life.
“A truly comprehensive publication, running the gamut from the first Atlantic sail-enhanced steamers to today’s remaining handful of combi-liners.” —Maritime Matters Before the advent of the jet age, ocean liners were the principal means of transport around the globe, and carried migrants and business people, soldiers and administrators, families, and lone travelers to every corner of the world. Though the ocean liner was born on the North Atlantic it soon spread to all the other oceans and in this new book the author addresses this huge global story. The account begins with Brunel’s Great Eastern and the early Cunarders, but with the rise in nationalism and the growth in empires in the latter part of the 19th century, and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the colonial powers of Spain, France, and Germany soon established shipping lines of their own, and transpacific routes were opened up by Japanese and American lines. The golden age between the two world wars witnessed huge growth in liner traffic to Africa, Australia and New Zealand, India, and the Far East, the French colonies, and the Dutch East and West Indies, but then, though there was a postwar revival, the breakup of empires and the arrival of mass air travel brought about the swan song of the liner. Employing more than 250 stunning photographs, the author describes not just the ships and routes, but interweaves the technical and design developments, covering engines, electric light, navigation and safety, and accommodation. A truly unique and evocative book for merchant ship enthusiasts and historians.
Ocean liners once sailed all the world's seas and played important roles in times of peace and war. Ships transported the rich and famous as well as millions of immigrants to new countries. Over time, airplanes changed the nature of travel and the role of the ocean liners. Today's cruise ships are dramatically different from the liners of old, bigger than ever, they are like small cities on the water.
'Transatlantic Liners 1950-1970' is a glorious reference of a grand but bygone age to those passenger ships, large and small, that crossed the Atlantic. There were the likes of the 'Queen Mary' and 'Queen Elizabeth', 'SS United States', 'Caronia', 'Andrea Doria' but also smaller, less memorable ships such as the 'Noordam', 'Paryhia' and 'Laurentia'. The ships, over 150 of them, are grouped by owner--from the short-lived American Banner Line to Israel's Zim Lines. Each ship is given a full, detailed reference: details (routing, length, tonnage, builder, speed, passengers carried, etc.) as well as a full chronology of the vessel's career including it's ultimate disposition and fate. Overall, it will be an extensive reference work. And altogether, it will be a revival of an all-star maritime cast!
In an engaging and anecdotal social history, Siân Evans's Maiden Voyages explores how women’s lives were transformed by the Golden Age of ocean liner travel between Europe and North America. During the early twentieth century, transatlantic travel was the province of the great ocean liners. It was an extraordinary undertaking made by many women, whose lives were changed forever by their journeys between the Old World and the New. Some traveled for leisure, some for work; others to reinvent themselves or find new opportunities. They were celebrities, migrants and millionaires, refugees, aristocrats and crew members whose stories have mostly remained untold—until now. Maiden Voyages is a fascinating portrait of the era, the ships themselves, and these women as they crossed the Atlantic. The ocean liner was a microcosm of contemporary society, divided by class: from the luxury of the upper deck, playground for the rich and famous, to the cramped conditions of steerage or third class travel. In first class you’ll meet A-listers like Marlene Dietrich, Wallis Simpson, and Josephine Baker; the second class carried a new generation of professional and independent women, like pioneering interior designer Sibyl Colefax. Down in steerage, you’ll follow the journey of émigré Maria Riffelmacher as she escapes poverty in Europe. Bustling between decks is a crew of female workers, including Violet “The Unsinkable Stewardess” Jessop, who survived the Titanic disaster. Entertaining and informative, Maiden Voyages captures the golden age of ocean liners through the stories of the women whose transatlantic journeys changed the shape of society on both sides of the globe.
Some 200 superb photographs -- in long shots and close-ups -- capture exquisite interiors of world’s great "floating palaces" -- 1890s to 1980s: Titanic, �le de France, Queen Elizabeth, United States, Europa, more. Informative captions provide key details.