Maritime history Books
The History Press Ltd The True Transatlantic SuperLiners
Book Synopsis Before the modern era of passenger air travel, the ocean liner was the only means of travelling overseas to countries all around the globe. Of the routes established, the most prestigious was the North Atlantic run from north European and Mediterranean ports to New York, and the demand for speed, regularity and luxury on this route was the driving force for the introduction of ever greater, more magnificent ships. By 1913, the expansion in size and splendor occasioned the adoption of the term ?super-liner?, a definition based on precise and unambiguous criteria. Only thirteen ships were entitled to be singled out for this exclusive accolade: the Imperator trio; Bremen *and *Europa; Rex; Normandie; Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth; United States; France; QE2 *and *QM2. This is their story.
£999.99
Stenlake Publishing Steamers of Loch Lomond
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£9.36
Gill Lighthouses of Ireland: An Illustrated Guide to
Book Synopsis`I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve.’ George Bernard Shaw Since ancient times, long before GPS, radio transmission or radar, lighthouses have served as beacons helping ships to navigate Ireland’s sometimes treacherous waters. The earliest lights were simply bonfires built on hillsides; in the fifth century, St Dúbhan established a brazier of burning wood or turf on the headland of Hy Kinsellagh (now known as Hook Head). Today, despite technological advances, these coastal icons continue to serve as crucial navigational aids for the maritime traffic of our island nation, from the smallest leisure crafts to cargo ships and trawlers. By day, they mark the way with their instantly recognisable appearances; at night, by the character of their signals. One flash every two seconds tells a sailor that they are near Valentia Island off the coast of Kerry. Four flashes every twenty seconds means that they are further north, approaching Loop Head in County Clare. As well as representing a unique part of our maritime history and built heritage, lighthouses are a powerful symbol of strength and resilience in times of darkness. This evokes an irresistible fascination with them in many people. Artist Roger O’Reilly grew up near the Boyne Estuary lighthouse in County Meath and ever since has associated a sense of peace and reassurance with the warm glow of lighthouse beacons. He has spent two years criss-crossing the country to draw dramatic portraits of these sentinels of our shores. Gathered in this extraordinary collection, each beloved landmark is accompanied by a wealth of practical and insightful information: history, location, elevation, signal and range. This spectacularly illustrated celebration of these architectural gems will be treasured by anyone who finds comfort, intrigue or excitement in the glimmer of a lighthouse through the darkness.
£999.99
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Hooghly: The Global History of a River
Book SynopsisThe Hooghly, a distributary of the Ganges flowing south to the Bay of Bengal, is now little known outside of India. Yet for centuries it was a river of truly global significance, attracting merchants, missionaries, mercenaries, statesmen, labourers and others from Europe, Asia and beyond. 'Hooghly' seeks to restore the waterway to the heart of global history. Focusing in turn on the role of and competition between those who struggled to control the river--the Portuguese, the Mughals, the Dutch, the French and finally the British, who built their imperial capital, Calcutta, on its banks--the author considers how the Hooghly was integrated into global networks of encounter and exchange, and the dramatic consequences that ensued. Travelling up and down the river, Robert Ivermee explores themes of enduring concern, among them the dynamics of modern capitalism and the power of large corporations; migration and human trafficking; the role of new technologies in revolutionising social relations; and the human impact on the natural world. The Hooghly's global history, he concludes, may offer lessons for India as it emerges as a world superpower.Trade Review'Brisk and judicious, "Hooghly" sets out to make the case for regarding a short river in Bengal as a crucible of global exchange. Based on original sources throughout, it succeeds quite brilliantly.' -- John Keay, author of 'India: A History''A rare and fascinating narrative of the Bengal delta, tracing the dynamic confluence of imperialist politics, mercantile ambition and economic progress that flowed through these waters. A history buff's delight and a stimulating narrative of a global melting-point, bubbling into life through Ivermee's detailed yet fluid rendition. Vivid, colourful and compelling.' -- Shashi Tharoor, Indian MP and author of 'Inglorious Empire'‘[A] compelling, scholarly and engagingly written account of the Hooghly [that] more than makes up for our lack of familiarity with Indian rivers other than the Ganges… Ivermee combines historical knowledge and erudition with a sense that history is not made simply by great men and impressive events, but by hordes of lesser human beings and smaller events which, taken together, change the way history progresses.’'A compelling book, which uses the history of a river to tell a story about the connection and conflict of people from different worlds. "Hooghly" is both an excellent introduction to the history of Bengal, and a comment on the limited nature of all claims to power, in the face of human diversity and the force of nature. Essential reading.' -- Jon Wilson, Professor in Modern History, King’s College London, and author of 'India Conquered''Not a history of the river but how the Hooghly made history, attracting Portuguese, Muslim, English, French, and Danish settlements, all drawing in global networks of trade, radical ideas, literature, and technology. An unusual and fascinating approach.' -- Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, author of 'The Great Uprising in India 1857-58: Untold Stories, Indian and British' and 'Portraits in Princely India, 1700-1947'
£16.14
Helion & Company The Last Spanish Armada: Britain and the War of
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£21.25
Wordwell The Sea, the Sky and Dublin Port: 2022
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£21.80
Exisle Publishing Guiding Lights: The Extraordinary Lives of
Book SynopsisWomen have a long history of keeping the lights burning, from tending ancient altar flames or bonfires to modern-day lighthouse keeping. Yet most of their stories are little known. Guiding Lights includes stories from around the world spanning two millennia, as we discover the physical and mental risks of isolation, the heroism of the female keepers, how they came to be hired (especially in the 19th century), and the mysteries and legends that are inextricably part of lighthouse history.
£999.99
Red Herring Publishing River, Coast and Creek: - an Exploration of
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£14.85
Hachette Livre - BNF Les Naufragés, Ou Vingt Mois Sur Un Récif Des Îles Auckland (7e Éd.) (Éd.1894)
£15.20
The History Press Ltd Shipwrecks of Kent
Book SynopsisA history of the shipwrecks of Kent
£12.34
Auckland University Press Thief, Convict, Pirate, Wife: The Many Histories of Charlotte Badger: 2022
Book SynopsisThis is a story of doubt. It is a story of people who left little trace. . . . There are no writings to pore over; no monuments to gaze at; no perfectly preserved homes to visit. We will never see their faces; we cannot hear the sound of their voices. In other words, they were like most of those who inhabit the past. Charlotte Badger is a woman around whom many stories have been woven: the thief sentenced to death in England and then transported to New South Wales; the pirate who joined a mutiny to take a ship to the Bay of Islands; the first white woman resident in Aotearoa; the wife of a rangatira, and many more. In this remarkable piece of historical detective work, Jennifer Ashton shows what we know about Charlotte Badger, and how the stories about her have shifted over time. From a Worcester courtroom to the outskirts of Sydney, from the English countryside to Wairoa Bay, Ashton brings to life the maritime and wider imperial world of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries - and the convicts and runaways, sailors and soldiers, governors and missionaries who filled that world. The author shows how history and historical figures like Charlotte Badger are made and remade over time by journalists and historians, painters and playwrights. Thief, Convict, Pirate, Wife tells the fascinating story of a remarkable, curious, ordinary woman and her place in history.
£26.21
John Donald Publishers Ltd Scottish Arctic Whaling
Book SynopsisScottish Arctic Whaling brings to light a previously little-known but important Scottish industry. The author's extensive use of original sources such as log-books and diaries shows that hundreds of whaling vessels, sailing variously from sixteen east-coast Scottish ports, harvested more than 20,000 bowhead whales at East Greenland, Davis Strait and Baffin Bay during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. And they did so under almost unimaginably demanding and hazardous conditions. More than 110 ships were lost, while others were often detained within the pack-ice, causing the whale men to suffer starvation, disease, scurvy, frostbite and death. In 1836 alone, more than 100 whalers on the Advice and Thomas, Dundee, and Dee of Aberdeen perished when they became entrapped at Davis Strait. Nevertheless, by the second half of the nineteenth century, through hard work, skill and perseverance, Scotland had a virtual monopoly on Arctic oil and bone, until seriously depleted stocks and the outbreak of the First World War brought the industry to a close.
£18.00
Icon Books The Black Joke: The True Story of One British
Book Synopsis**Longlisted for the Mountbatten Maritime Media Awards 2022**A groundbreaking history of the Black Joke, the most famous member of the British Royal Navy's anti-slavery squadron, and the long fight to end the transatlantic slave trade.Initially a slaving vessel itself, the Black Joke was captured in 1827 and repurposed by the Royal Navy to catch its former compatriots. Over the next five years, the vessel liberated more enslaved people than any other in Britain's West Africa Squadron.As Britain attempted to snuff out the transatlantic slave trade by way of treaty and negotiation, enforcing these policies fell to ships such as the Black Joke as they battled slavers, weather disasters, and interpersonal drama among captains and crew that reverberated across oceans.The Black Joke is a crucial and deeply compelling work of history, both as a reckoning with slavery and abolition and as a lesson about the power of political will - or the lack thereof.Trade ReviewAn accessible history ... Rooks succeeds in capturing the human dimensions of the story. This is an enlightening take on a lesser-known aspect of the fight to end slavery. * Publishers Weekly *A tale skillfully teased out of the vaults and made vivid by an artful narrative. * Kirkus *
£18.75
Johns Hopkins University Press Earths Magnetism in the Age of Sail
Book SynopsisThe result, a masterful combination of science and history, will appeal to a broad audience of specialists as well as general readers.Trade ReviewA fascinating tale at the interface of geophysics, maritime history, and the history of science... A remarkable blend of scientific and historical scholarship. Choice 2003 This book illuminates a dark corner of history and science from a unique and well-grounded perspective. By choosing to examine the natural phenomenon of Earth's magnetism within a historical context, A. R. T. Jonkers has found a way to lend both interest and accessibility to what otherwise could be an esoteric topic. Engaging, highly readable, and well written with sound scholarship, Earth's Magnetism in the Age of Sail is a valuable and original contribution to the history of science. Dr. Gregory Good, editor of Earth Sciences History and Director of the West Virginia Cultural Resource Management Certificate Program Jonkers has provided a truly interdisciplinary study that will be accessible to scientists as well as historians. -- Kathy S. Mason History: Reviews of New Books In this ambitious work, the author sets out to rescue from obscurity the thousands of measurements of magnetic declination made by European sailors in the early modern period... The monumental contribution of information and insight brought by this study... will bear fruit well into the future. -- Jordan Kellman International Journal of Maritime History 2005Table of ContentsContents:List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Note on Spelling and Other Conventions List of AbbreviationsIntroduction: Merging Geomagnetism and HistoryPART I: Earth's Magnetism 1 The Earth's Magnetic Field 2 The Age of Diversity: Geomagnetism before 1600 3 The Age of Discord: Geomagnetism in the Seventeenth Century 4 The Age of Data: Geomagnetism in the Eighteenth CenturyPART II: In the Age of Sail 5 Traversing the Trackless Oceans 6 Following in Iron Arrow 7 Plotting the Third CoordinateConclusion: Quantifying Geomagnetic NavigationAppendix Chronology of Geomagnetic Hypotheses Notes Essay on Sources Index
£42.75
Boydell & Brewer Ltd London Marine Insurance 1438-1824: Risk, Trade,
Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive history of marine insurance transacted in London from the industry's beginnings, to the early-nineteenth-century, when legislative change ended parliamentary monopolies over the business. This book describes the development and evolution of the customary, legal, and commercial institutions of marine insurance, alongside its developing organisational structures. It analyses major market interventions during the period, including state-sponsored initiatives in the late sixteenth century, the introduction of new corporate forms in the early eighteenth century, and the formation and maturation of Lloyd's of London. The book examines the impact of crises such as the Smyrna catastrophe of 1693 and the South Sea Bubble, and makes comparisons with developments in other marine insurance markets. In revealing how the London insurance market changed over centuries, the book discusses issues of risk and uncertainty, the financial revolution, the development of trade, and the reciprocal developmental roles of markets and the state. Overall, it highlights the ways that efficient and effective marine insurance capable of adapting according to circumstance was vital to the growth of trade and the economy.Trade ReviewGreatly advances our understanding of the early history of Britain's most important marine insurance market. It demonstrates the scope and flexibility of marine underwriting in London and its growing comparative advantage over rival European centres such as Antwerp and Amsterdam. * THE LONDON JOURNAL *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The merchant-insurers' system: London marine insurance to the 1570s 2. 1570-1688: Buyers and the first intervention 3. 1688 to 1720: The sellers' intervention 4. To 1824: Lloyd's and the common law 5. Conclusions Appendix: Some London underwriters active 1690-1717 Bibliography
£85.50
Getty Trust Publications Transpacific Engagements: Trade, Translation, and
Book SynopsisThis wide-ranging collection of scholarly essays explores the hybrid cultures, intellectual clashes, and dynamic exchanges of the transpacific region in the age of imperialism. Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, competing European empires vied for commercial and political control of oceanic routes between Asia and the Americas. Transpacific Engagements addresses the resulting cultural and artistic exchanges with an emphasis on the Spanish and American enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region. This volume explores artistic expressions of imperial aspirations and imaginaries in the Philippines, Spain, Japan, and Hawaii; the transformations of texts, images, and culinary practices as they moved from one cultural context to another; and the movement of objects and people across the transpacific, with particular attention to the Manila Galleon trade that flourished from 1565 to 1815. Featuring contributions by art historians, anthropologists, historians, and cultural studies scholars, Transpacific Engagements gathers groundbreaking investigations of objects and histories to illustrate the role of East, South, and Southeast Asian polities and dynasties in these multilateral exchanges. Published by the Ayala Foundation, Inc. in association with the Getty Research Institute and Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (Max-Planck-Institut).
£38.00
Kagero Oficyna Wydawnicza Yahagi. Japanese Light Cruiser 1942-1945
Book SynopsisYahagi, the second Japanese warship of that name, was the third of the four Agano-class vessels (the other three being Agano, Noshiro and Sakawa). Construction of the Agano-class cruisers was approved by the Japanese parliament (Diet) in March 1939 under the Fourth Naval Armaments Enhancement Program (Dai-Yon-Ji Kaigun Gunbi Jūjitsu Keikaku), also known as “Four-in-Circle” Program (Maru Yon Keikaku), or simply Maru 4. Under the terms of the program, the four light cruisers (kei jun’yōkan), also referred to as type B cruisers (otsu-gata jun’yōkan, or simply otsu jun) and officially classed as second-class cruisers (ni-tō jun’yōkan), were to fulfill the role of destroyer squadron flagships. At that time destroyer squadrons (DesRon), called literarily torpedo squadrons (suirai sentai), consisted of four four-ship destroyer divisions (DesDiv, or kuchiku-tai).Trade ReviewIf you’re building the Yahagi in any scale then this is the only reference book you need. * Model Builder International *
£999.99
The History Press Ltd The Evolution of the Passenger Ship
Book SynopsisTake a voyage through the rich history of passenger ships. From mass migration through to luxury holidays, passenger shipping has played a central role in the collective human story. They have been at the forefront of innovative technology, leading to vessels capable of greater speed and safety, new luxuries, and increased scale and size.From the earliest days of using ships to transport people, through the development of the giant passenger transportation industry, to the huge cruise ships we see today, this book provides a fascinating glimpse into some of the most important evolutions that had a significant impact on passenger shipping.Accompanied by captivating photographs, The Evolution of the Passenger Ship explores the way ships were shaped over time and how they in turn helped to shape the world around them.
£21.25
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Titanic Day by Day
Book SynopsisPreviously unpublished illustrations by Nady Gubanova, bringing the history of Titanic to life.
£21.25
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC A History of Sailing in 100 Objects
Book SynopsisDid you ever wonder which civilisation first took to water in small craft? Who worked out how to measure distance or plot a course at sea? Or why the humble lemon rose to such prominence in the diets of sailors?Taking one hundred objects that have been pivotal in the development of sailing and sailing boats, the book provides a fascinating insight into the history of sailing. From the earliest small boats, through magnificent Viking warships, to the technology that powers some of the most sophisticated modern yachts, the book also covers key developments such as keeps and navigational aids such as the astrolabe, sextant and compass. Other more apparently esoteric objects from all around the world are also included, including the importance of citrus fruit in the prevention of scurvy, scrimshaw made from whalebone and the meaning of sailor's tattoos. Beautifully illustrated with lively and insightful text, it's a perfect gift for the real or armchair sailor, the book gives an alternaTrade ReviewA whimsical, inventive, comprehensive and scientific volume of sailing knowledge. * Boating Times Long Island *A delightful anthology of vignettes about all sorts of things of interest and importance to leisure, commercial and naval mariners. It has much wider appeal than just sailing and yachting. * Ausmarine magazine *A potpourri of all things nautical with informative text supporting each picture. * This England *This photographic tour through the ages is a captivating look at mankind's history at sea. * Yachting Times *So much more than the sum of its parts... the true joy of this book is to dip in and out of it again and again. * Topwath Talk *Book of the month. Beautifully illustrated and insightfully written, it offers a thoughtful tour of how we sail today and why. * Boat International *
£18.70
Transworld Publishers Ltd Sword Beach
Book SynopsisStephen Fisher is an archaeologist and historian specialising in twentieth-century warfare and maritime history. He has been researching landing craft and the D-Day fleets for a number of years while working on a huge range of other projects.Previous work has included advising on the restoration of LCT 7074, the world's last surviving D-Day landing craft tank, and compiling a comprehensive assessment of the Second World War archaeology of the New Forest National Park. At present he undertakes archaeological surveys if the New Forest and sails with National Geographic/Lindbald Expeditions as a historian.
£22.50
The History Press Ltd The Unseen Lusitania
Book SynopsisThe story of the ill-fated Lusitania revealed through vivid and rare illustrations
£21.25
Yale University Press Captain Cook
Book SynopsisThe age of discovery was at its peak in the eighteenth century, with heroic adventurers charting the furthest reaches of the globe. Foremost among these explorers was navigator and cartographer Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy. This book reveals Cook's place in history as a brave and brilliant seaman.Trade Review"'McLynn's biography is well researched and respectful.' (John de Falbe, The Spectator) 'Frank McLynn has no doubt about Captain Cook's status... the finest maritime explorer in the history of the world... He proves it in a meticulous rollercoaster chronicle.' (Duncan Fallowell, Daily Express) 'A first-class biography by a prominent British historian, Frank McLynn.' (John M. Taylor, The Washington Times)"
£18.04
The History Press Ltd Voices from the Carpathia Rescuing RMS Titanic
Book SynopsisThe author’s collection of these rare written accounts and interviews sheds new light on the tragic way the lives of so many were impacted by the loss of the largest passenger liner in the world.
£18.00
Yale University Press The Savage Shore Extraordinary Stories of
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Seal’s spirited account of these early adventurers inspires both admiration and regret.”—Jon Wright, Geographical -- Jon Wright * Geographical *
£31.56
The History Press Ltd Titanic or Olympic Which Ship Sank
Book SynopsisThe Titanic is one of the most famous maritime disasters of all time, but did the Titanic really sink on the morning of 15 April 1912? Titanic's older sister, the nearly identical Olympic, was involved in a serious accident in September 1911 an accident that may have made her a liability to her owners the White Star Line. Since 1912 rumours of a conspiracy to switch the two sisters in an elaborate insurance scam has always loomed behind the tragic story of the Titanic. Could the White Star Line have really switched the Olympic with her near identical sister in a ruse to intentionally sink their mortally damaged flagship in April 1912, in order to cash in on the insurance policy? Laying bare the famous conspiracy theory, world-respected Titanic researchers investigate claims that the sister ships were switched in an insurance scam and provide definitive proof for whether it could - or could not - have happened.
£21.25
Liverpool University Press Merely for Money?: Business Culture in the
Book SynopsisIn 1780 Richard Sheridan noted that merchants worked ‘merely for money’. However, rather than being a criticism, this was recognition of the important commercial role that merchants played in the British empire at this time. Of course, merchants desired and often made profits, but they were strictly bound by commonly-understood socio-cultural norms which formed a private-order institution of a robust business culture. In order to elucidate this business culture, this book examines the themes of risk, trust, reputation, obligation, networks and crises to demonstrate how contemporary merchants perceived and dealt with one another and managed their businesses. Merchants were able to take risks and build trust, but concerns about reputation and fulfilling obligations constrained economic opportunism. By relating these themes to an array of primary sources from ports around the British-Atlantic world, this book provides a more nuanced understanding of business culture during this period. A theme which runs throughout the book is the mercantile community as a whole and its relationship with the state. This was an important element in the British business culture of this period, although this relationship came under stress towards the end of period, forming a crisis in itself. This book argues that the business culture of the British-Atlantic mercantile community not only facilitated the conduct of day-to-day business, but also helped it to cope with short-term crises and long-term changes. This facilitated the success of the British-Atlantic economy even within the context of changing geo-politics and an under-institutionalised environment. Not working ‘merely for money’ was a successful business model.Trade Review'It is no mean achievement of Haggerty that she has made a distinctive contribution to such a rich field of research.' Julian Hoppit, EH Net'A very well written, accessible work of largely original research which makes an important contribution to our understanding of Atlantic communities.' Geoffrey Channon, University of the West of EnglandTable of Contents Introduction 1. Space Place and People 2. Risk 3. Trust 4. Reputation 5. Obligation 6. Networks 7. Crises Conclusion Bibliography Index
£27.99
Bene Factum Publishing Ltd Ship, The Lady and the Lake
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£19.00
Fernhurst Books Limited Racundra's Third Cruise
Book SynopsisMost people know of Arthur Ransome, the author of the classic children’s sailing tale, Swallows & Amazons, and many other books in the same series. But besides his exciting tales of children on the water there is much more to the man. Before he wrote Swallows & Amazons, Ransome was a journalist for the Daily News, based in Russia. He is reputed to have played chess against Lenin and he married Trotsky’s secretary. He cruised extensively in the Baltic in the 1920s on board his beloved Racundra. His account of his first cruise on that boat was his first commercially successful book, Racundra’s First Cruise (also available from Fernhurst Books). The second cruise was spoilt by bad weather, but the third cruise was special – it was his honeymoon having married Evgenia Shelepina. Ransome clearly intended to publish the account of this cruise, but never finished it. Ransome enthusiast, Brian Hammett, got hold of the unpublished manuscript and found Ransome’s hand-written notes, diaries, logbooks and photographs in the Ransome archive at Leeds University. Brian compiled this book, adding his own notes from his cruises in the same area. The result is a glorious volume which has delighted Ransome enthusiasts, sailors and landlubbers equally. This new paperback edition and eBook will be published on 8th May – the very day that Ransome and Shelepina got married in 1924 before their honeymoon cruise which is recounted in this book.Trade Review“There isn’t a paragraph in it that is not a delight to read… Few books have been edited with more enthusiasm and dedication… This is a labour of love for which Ransome’s many admirers have reason to be enormously grateful.” (The Independent) “His easy descriptive prose is as fresh as it ever was.” (Classic Boat) “The day-to-day details of the cruise will be music to the ears of sailing enthusiasts, but the keen eye of Ransome the journalist ensures there is plenty to hold the attention of those of us who don’t know the difference between a centreboard and a centre-forward.” (The Keswick Reminder) “A superbly well-written book which is worth reading at a suitably leisurely pace and savouring every exquisite minute.” (Lifeboat) “For the general cruising fraternity, this slim paperback is highly recommended as the kind of book to have on board in case of enforced idleness in a sheltered anchorage while waiting for inclement weather to pass. Although it describes a world long gone, it nails much that is important, enjoyable and interesting about the cruising life.” (Flying Fish, 2018)Table of ContentsIntroduction; Racundra’s Third Cruise (Racundra Goes Inland); Prelude to Racundra’s Third Cruise: The dream, The first cruise, The second cruise, The Cruising Association, Getting married, Racundra returns to Riga; Postscript; Acknowledgements.
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Sea of Death
Book SynopsisThe story of the worst ship disasters in history, of ships sunk in the Baltic between January and May 1945.
£18.00
Woodfield Publishing Crash Boats of Gorleston: The Exploits of No.24 Air Sea Rescue Unit of the Royal Air Force During World War 2
£17.59
Fonthill Media Ltd Bound for the East Indies: Halsewell-A Shipwreck
Book SynopsisThe loss of East Indiaman HCS `Halsewell' on the coast of Dorset in southern England in January 1786, touched the very heart of the British nation. `Halsewell' was just one of many hundreds of vessels which had been in the service of the Honourable East India Company since its foundation in the year 1600. In the normal course of events, `Halsewell' would have been expected to serve out her working life, before passing unnoticed into the history books. However, this was not to be. Halsewell's loss was an event of such pathos as to inspire the greatest writer of the age Charles Dickens, to put pen to paper; the greatest painter of the age J. M. W. Turner, to apply brush to canvas, and the King and Queen to pay homage at the very place where the catastrophe occurred. Artefacts from the wreck continue to be recovered to this very day which, and for variety, interest, curiosity, and exoticism, rival those recovered from Spanish armada galleons wrecked off the west coast of Ireland two centuries previously. Such artefacts shed further light both on `Halsewell' herself, and on the extraordinary lives of those who sailed in her.Table of ContentsPreface; 1 The Honourable East India Company; 2 The Honourable Company Ship (HCS) Halsewell; 3 The Allure of the East; 4 Captain Richard Peirce, Commander of Halsewell; 5 Halsewell's First Voyage (1778-1781): An Unpleasant Encounter with Horatio Nelson; 6 Halsewell's Second Voyage (1782-1784): An Important Passenger; 7 Halsewell's Third Voyage (1786- ): Her Officers, Crew, and Passengers, 8 Halsewell's Third Voyage (1786- ); 9 The Voyage Begins; 10 Shipwreck; 11 A Glimmer of Hope; 12 Aftermath: Halsewell's Grim Legacy; 13 Analysis of the Disaster: Was Captain Peirce in Any Way to Blame?; 14 `Halsewell': From Whence Did the Ship Derive her Name?; 15 The 1960s: Renewed Interest in the Wreck: Intriguing Artefacts; 16 The Halsewell Disaster is Captured in Poetry; 17 A Re-enactment of the Drama: the King and Queen Pay their Respects: Charles Dickens Commemorates the Tragedy; 18 Halsewell is Immortalized by Artists; 19 Sequel; Epilogue; Appendices: 1 Peirce Family Tree; 2 Halsewell/Tynte Family Tree; 3 Greenland Dock and the Wells Family of Shipbuilders; 4 Uniforms; 5 Required Qualifications for Commanders and Officers (`Mates'); 6 Required Inventory of Equipment etc. Necessary for Commanders and Officers; 7 Required Inventory of Equipment etc. Necessary for a Midshipman; 8 Indulgences; 9 Wages; 10 List of Officers [and crew, excluding ordinary seamen-`foremastmen'] on board the Halsewell, at the time she sailed; 11 Soldiers of the 42nd Foot, transported by Halsewell on her 3rd voyage; 12 The Three Voyages of HCS Halsewell; 13 Halsewell's Logbook: an Explanation; 14 Ships' Stores; 15 List of Officers, Seamen, and Soldiers saved; 16 The History of Walnut Tree House.
£16.00
Oldcastle Books Ltd The Antigallican
Book SynopsisJersey fishing captain, Jean Cotterell is rescued by a French frigate - The Hortense - off the Grand Banks of Nova Scotia in May 1794. His fishing vessel has foundered and he is the sole survivor. The Hortense is part of Republican Admiral Jan Van Stabel's great fleet of over 100 ships bringing corn to France. Lord Howe's Channel Fleet is off Brest, hoping to intercept them. Life on The Hortense is like France under the Terror; chaotic, ungovernable, obsessed with savage, radical political theories. Separated from the French fleet in the Western Approaches she is intercepted by two British frigates and battle is joined... The Antigallican is the first in a series of novels set at the end of the 18th century at sea, in Britain, in the Channel Islands and in Revolutionary France. In Jean Cotterell we find a character that bears comparison with Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe, in a narrative that will delight fans of Patrick O'Brian.Trade ReviewWith its captivating, pungent, and sharply drawn characters, this first instalment in a series of sea stories is a welcome addition to the Napoleonic sea story genre -- Margaret Barr * Historical Novels Review *I believe [Tom Bowling] has a great future, and will become one of the leading authors in the historical naval fiction genre -- Robert Squarebriggs
£12.34
Liverpool University Press Envoys of abolition: British Naval Officers and
Book SynopsisAfter Britain’s Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, a squadron of Royal Navy vessels was sent to the West Coast of Africa tasked with suppressing the thriving transatlantic slave trade. Drawing on previously unpublished papers found in private collections and various archives in the UK and abroad, this book examines the personal and cultural experiences of the naval officers at the frontline of Britain’s anti-slavery campaign in West Africa. It explores their unique roles in this 60-year operation: at sea, boarding slave ships bound for the Americas and ‘liberating’ captive Africans; on shore, as Britain resolved to ‘improve’ West African societies; and in the metropolitan debates around slavery and abolitionism in Britain. Their personal narratives are revealing of everyday concerns of health, rewards and strategy, to more profound questions of national honour, cultural encounters, responsibility for the lives of others in the most distressing of circumstances, and the true meaning of ‘freedom’ for formerly enslaved African peoples. British anti-slavery efforts and imperial agendas were tightly bound in the nineteenth century, inseparable from ideas of national identity. This is a book about individuals tasked with extraordinary service, military men who also worked as guardians, negotiators, and envoys of abolition.Trade Review'Based on meticulous research in national and regional archive collections, this book provides a richly documented account of how men engaged in Royal Navy suppression activities reacted to their work in intercepting vessels carrying enslaved Africans.'Professor Suzanne Schwarz, University of Worcester‘[Envoys of Abolition] offer[s] a detailed exploration of British officers and their important role in the suppression of the slave trade… This well-researched and nuanced discussion of naval officers illustrates their complex roles in West Africa as well as their powerful impact on metropolitan discourses.’ Evan C. Rothera, The Northern Mariner Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Abolition at sea Chapter 2: Abolition on shore Chapter 3: Officers’ commitment to the anti-slavery cause Chapter 4: Prize voyages and ideas of freedom Chapter 5: Encounters with Africa Chapter 6: Officers’ contributions to Britain’s anti-slavery culture Conclusion Bibliography Index
£29.99
Liverpool University Press A Dictionary of Liverpool Ship Portraitists and
Book SynopsisThis dictionary is the most comprehensive work of reference on the ship portraitists and marine artists who worked in Liverpool between the late eighteenth century and the present day. It includes 65 known portraitists and marine artists and an appendix of over a dozen other locally-based painters who produced an occasional marine work and about half a dozen possible marine artists who may have worked, visited or have been temporarily resident in the port. It is organised alphabetically by surname. Each entry includes a full biography of the artist; a summary of their main subjects, style and range of work; details of the main UK and US museums holding their paintings; and the principal published sources. The dictionary includes 70 illustrations which are typical examples of the work of each of the main artists. These included: Samuel and Miles Walters, Joseph Heard, Robert Salmon, Francis Hustwick, William Jackson, John Jenkinson, Sam Brown, Odin Rosenvinge, Thomas Dove, William G Yorke and William H Yorke.Trade Review'A major contribution to our understanding of the maritime culture of a major port at the height of its economic and political consequence.' Professor Andrew Lambert, Kings College London
£25.38
Harvard University Press The Magnificent Boat
Book SynopsisGötz Aly pens a forgotten chapter in the history of imperialism as the story of a single object: a majestic fifteen-meter boat, looted from Papua New Guinea during a German colonial expedition and since displayed in Berlin museums. Aly restores attention to colonial conquests and lays bare the vexed nature of ethnological appropriation.Trade ReviewA major contribution to the debate over whether and how to repatriate the countless objects and artworks acquired through dubious means that reside in the museums of former colonial powers…As an indictment of German colonial policies and leading scholars’ complicity in them, the book is unsparing and convincing. -- Joshua Keating * Washington Post *In his brief, powerful book, Aly tells a sweeping history of colonial exploitation by focusing on the story of the journey of a single boat from its birthplace in the 1890s on the island of Luf in the Bismarck Archipelago to Berlin’s Ethnologisches (Ethnological) Museum in 1903. Through the Luf Boat, now a centerpiece of the controversial new Humboldt Forum, Aly demonstrates the intimate relationship between the devastation wrought by markets and militaries and the curators who swooped in to ‘rescue’ the remnants of supposedly dying cultures. -- Erin L. Thompson * Los Angeles Review of Books *The book is not just about museum politics and shifting postcolonial meanings of non-western objects. Museum collections are a metaphor. They stand for a larger, unresolved debate about the moral contradictions facing postcolonial western societies whose contemporary prosperity is rooted in the pillaging of the peoples and cultures they once ruled. If the ethos of the moment stands on injustice, The Magnificent Boat makes an excellent contribution that exposes and reminds us of it. -- David Lipset * Times Literary Supplement *Aly’s detailed account follows German ships as they arrive at Luf Island to punish the local population for an earlier fight with Germans, burning homes and forests, stealing food and clearing land for the coconut plantations where the remaining islanders were enslaved…He draws widely from official documents and accounts where Germans wrote openly about violence in the South Seas. -- David D’Arcy * The Art Newspaper *Concise and convincing, this damning account reveals the painful legacy of colonialism. * Publishers Weekly *Well written and full of disturbing detail—a new and much-needed perspective on an iconic museum object. -- Bénédicte Savoy, author of Africa’s Struggle for Its Art: History of a Postcolonial DefeatA lot has been written recently about looted art, but there’s been less talk about much greater colonial crimes. Aly shows that there’s no separating the two. -- Jörg Häntzschel * Süddeutsche Zeitung *Aly’s entertainingly written and comprehensively researched study shows that the Luf Boat was by no means fairly acquired by the German Reich. -- Andreas Kilb * Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung *Anyone who sees the so-called Luf Boat in the future will immediately have in mind the murderous cruelty of the Germans. -- Felix Bohr, Ulrike Knöfel, and Elke Schmitter * Der Spiegel *This is a harrowing book, in which readers will learn more about the everyday brutality of colonialism than in any postcolonial studies tract. -- Sebastian Preuss * Weltkunst Online *
£22.46
Manohar Publishers and Distributors Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwipa: Reflections on the
Book SynopsisThis volume is also unique in that it includes translations of the contemporary Tamil and Sanskrit inscriptions relating to Southeast Asia and of the Song dynasty Chinese texts relating to the Chola Kingdom.
£42.74
Birlinn General Treasure Islands: True Tales of a Shipwreck
Book SynopsisAn extraordinary true story of danger, innovation and deep sea discovery. In 1971 Alec Crawford is determined to make his fortune from ship salvage. Early attempts lead nowhere until he teams up with a new partner, Simon Martin. Diving in Hebridean waters, they explore remains of the Spanish Armada, and the wreck of the SS Politician, the vessel made famous in the Whisky Galore. But money is scarce and irregular, and the work is fraught with danger and disappointment. Until they hear of one of the most incredible wrecks of all time – the White Star Liner Oceanic, which, when built in 1899, was the biggest and most luxurious ship in the world. Widely regarded as an ‘undiveable’ wreck, lying somewhere off the remote island of Foula, they decide to take the challenge. They face unbelievably dangerous waters and appalling weather conditions, and when a large salvage company takes action against them, they also have a huge legal fight on their hands. But if they succeed, the rewards will be enormous…Trade Review'Absorbing … Crawford writes of difficult and very dangerous work with a good deal of sangfroid. Good humour and an absence of hyperbole make this an unusually likeable, as well as interesting, memoir' -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *'Crawford is a born story-teller, and his tales unfold as easily and naturally as he were an old friend' * The Shetland Times *'The combination of proper adventure, sunken treasure, Scottish islands, memories of fragile communities, the affection this book is written with, and the pleasure of spending time in the company of someone who's achieved some really notable things gives this book a much broader appeal than you might initially suppose ... It's a story of genuine adventure ... Highly recommended' * Desperate Reader Blogspot *'Crawford has had a long career in rescuing sometimes very valuable stuff from deep water, but his book Treasure Islands tells the story of the early days, diving on shallow wrecks in the Forth, the Western Isles and Shetland…Going down there and rummaging through things… you must have been conscious of the danger but it sounds quite Wild West' * BBC Radio Scotland *'Crawford pioneered many of the methods now used in deep sea recovery, but this book is more about the excitement than the technicalities. It is also a love song to Scotland and a vanishing way of life' * Sorted Magazine *'A thrilling memoir ... [with] good humour throughout' * The Bookseller *'Treasure Islands is a fascinating and intriguing book… Alec Crawford is the underwater version of Robert Louis Stevenson with his incredible stories of the many wrecks he has dived' -- Cordon Cagailte * Stornoway Gazette *
£9.49
University of Alaska Press Breaking Ice for Arctic Oil: The Epic Voyage of
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Oxford University Press Norse America
Book SynopsisThe story of the Vikings in North America as both fact and fiction, from the westward expansion of the Norse across the North Atlantic in the tenth and eleventh centuries to the myths and fabrications about their presence there that have developed in recent centuries.Tracking the saga of the Norse across the North Atlantic to America, Norse America sets the record straight about the idea that the Vikings ''discovered'' America. The journey described is a continuum, with evidence-based history and archaeology at one end, and fake history and outright fraud at the other. In between there lies a huge expanse of uncertainty: sagas that may contain shards of truth, characters that may be partly historical, real archaeology that may be interpreted through the fictions of saga, and fragmentary evidence open to responsible and irresponsible interpretation. Norse America is a book that tells two stories. The first is the westward expansion of the Norse across the North Atlantic in the tenth and eleventh centuries, settling in Greenland and establishing a shore station at L''Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland (to which a chapter of the book is devoted) and ending (but not culminating) in a fleeting and ill-documented presence on the shores of the North American mainland. The second is the appropriation and enhancement of the westward narrative by Canadians and Americans who want America to have had white North European origins, who therefore want the Vikings to have ''discovered'' America, and who in the advancement of that thesis have been willing to twist and manufacture evidence in support of claims grounded in an ideology of racial superiority.Trade ReviewIt has the potential to shift the debate on the Vinland journeys and the Norse discovery of North America in new and welcome directions. * Sverrir Jakobsson, History: Reviews of New Books *Gordon Campbell's fascinating book explains how this questionable theory evolved into an argument for the cultural supremacy of people of northern European Protestant descent over Americans of different ancestry. * Tony Barber, Financial Times, Best History Books of 2021 *Campbell excels in deconstructing the "fantasy archaeology" that has been used to bolster claims to Norse heritage, from genuine Viking-Age weapons deliberately buried and then "discovered", to outright fakes. [...] Norse America is a welcome deconstruction of a founding myth that remains dangerously politicized. * Jane Kershaw, Times Literary Supplement *Norse America is an important book that equips the reader to interrogate the stories we think we know, and asks how - and why - we arrived where we are today. This highly readable volume is particularly suited to those who want to understand how the past is shaped in the present - often for explicit political aims. * Cat Jarman, BBC History Magazine *[An] engaging and illuminating account ... this breadth, this willingness to see the Norse voyages to Greenland and Canada as part of a much bigger story, is the great strength of this book. * Judith Jesch, History Today *This breezy, well-researched, and frequently hilarious book is one of the best recent take-downs of ethnic chauvinism I've seen in years... Campbell, a Scotsman with a sense of humor as dry as a finely-aged single malt, is merciless in dissecting every single alleged Norse artifact, archaeological site, and inscription, up to and including the Norse sagas themselves... [R]ead this book post-haste.You will not be disappointed. * Daily Kos *Norse America provides an impressively complex overview of the pre-modern movements of northern Europeans and discusses a large array of forged objects and theories, thereby successfully addressing common misconceptions and conspiracy theories related to the medieval Norse presence in America. * Verena Höfig, Speculum 99/1 *Table of Contents1: Discovering America 2: Sagas and Chronicles 3: Maps 4: Iceland and the Discovery of Greenland 5: Norse Greenland 6: L'Anse aux Meadows 7: The Limits of the Norse Presence in North America 8: American Runestones 9: The Kensington Runestone 10: Understanding Norse America Glossary Further Reading
£999.99
Yale University Press Arctic Convoys
Book Synopsis
£11.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Gordon Bennett and the First Yacht Race Across
Book SynopsisThe 1866 transatlantic yacht race was a match that saw three yachts battle their way across the Atlantic in the dead of winter in pursuit of a $90,000 prize. Six men died in the brutal and close-fought contest, and the event changed the perception of yachting from a slightly effete gentlemen''s pursuit into something altogether more rugged and adventurous. The race also symbolized the beginning of America''s ''gilded age'', with its associated obscene wealth and largesse (the $90,000 prize put up by the three contestants is about $15 million in today''s money), as well as the thawing of relations between the US and UK. The narrative focuses on the victorious yacht Henrietta and her owner James Gordon Bennett. Bennett was the son of the multimillionaire proprietor of the New York Herald, and a notorious playboy. His infamous stunts included driving his carriage through the streets of New York naked, tipping a railway porter $30,000, and turning up at his own eTrade ReviewThe story is engagingly told by distinguished journalist and maritime historian, Sam Jefferson. * Gentleman's Journal *Sam Jefferson's story is written with style, colour and wit. A cracking yarn. * Boat International *Entertaining * Daily Mail *a jaunty and surprise-packed retelling of a wonderful story, which leaves readers with an abundance of good yarns to recount on their next night watch * Times Literary Supplement *entertaining tale of yachting history and sybaritic excess * Guardian *Sailors in particular will enjoy this harrowing story * Sailing (US) *It’s hard not to love a seas story that seems too outrageous to be true and such is the case with Gordon Bennett * Soundings (US) *Biographer Sam Jefferson paints a colourful picture of James Gordon Bennett, as playboy, bon viveur and ardent yachtsman whose drinking gets him into a host of scrapes. * Yachting Monthly *A breathtaking survey of the 1866 transatlantic yacht race. * Vanity Fair *Table of Contents1 The birth of transatlantic yacht racing 2 The first of the international playboys 3 Captain Samuels: The hired gun 4 Stick, twist or bust? 5 Wild times off the Grand Banks 6 Riders on the storm 7 Stranger than fiction 8 A stab in the back 9 The race is won 10 What happened afterwards 11 The fate of our heroes
£19.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Olympic Titanic Britannic
Book SynopsisThe Titanic. The Britannic. The Olympic. They are some of the most famous ships in history, but for the wrong reasons.The Olympic Class liners were conceived as the largest, grandest ships ever to set sail. Of the three ships built, the first only lost the record for being the largest because she was beaten by the second, and they were both beaten by the third. The class was meant to secure the White Star Line''s reputation as the greatest shipping company on earth. Instead, with the loss of both the Titanic and the Britannic in their first year of service, it guaranteed White Star''s infamy.This unique book tells the extraordinary story of these three extraordinary ships from the bottom up, starting with their conception and construction (and later their modification) and following their very different careers. Behind the technical details of these magnificent ships lies a tragic human story not just of the lives lost aboarTrade ReviewBOOK OF THE MONTH: This very well-produced book contains so much information about the Olympic class ships, and is a must for all ocean liner enthusiasts. * Ships Monthly *A very well researched book and I would very highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in this area. * Shipping Today and Yesterday *
£25.19
Vintage Publishing Endeavour: The Sunday Times bestselling biography
Book Synopsis**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**An inventive biography of one of the most famous ships of all time - recently discovered off the coast of America- Endeavour is an alluring combination of history, adventure and science. From Johnson's Dictionary to campaigns for liberty, the Enlightenment was an age of endeavours. It was also the name given to a commonplace, coal-carrying vessel bought by the Royal Navy in 1768 for an expedition to the South Seas. No one could have guessed that Endeavour would go on to become the most significant ship in the history of British exploration. Endeavour famously carried Captain James Cook on his first great voyage, but her complete story has never been told before. Here, Peter Moore sets out to explore the different lives of this remarkable ship - from the acorn that grew into the oak that made her, to her rich and complex legacy.'Fascinating and richly detailed... Peter Moore has brought us an acute insight into the ship that carried some of the most successful explorers across the world. A fine book that's definitely worth exploring' MICHAEL PALINTrade ReviewMr Moore is a dazzling new arrival: a witty, intelligent and hugely entertaining writer * Wall Street Journal *A joy of a biography, offering up a blizzard of maritime and political fascinations... Moore has written a book that makes the case for his little ship both compelling and irrefutable -- Simon Winchester * New York Times *Moore uses Endeavour as a window to the age of enlightenment. Like the period it recounts, this book has enormous energy, creativity and self-confidence. It's a feast of endless exotic dishes, all delivered with immense style -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times Books of the Year *Beautifully constructed, his book is not just the history of a single vessel, but a window into the intellectual and political life of the age of enlightenment, from the thrill of botanical discovery to the horror of Cook's last moments on the beaches of Hawaii -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times Books of the Year *A dazzling combination of science and adventure, lyrically evocative descriptions of lush tropical landscapes and salt-stung seascapes, and a portrait of an age…an absolute joy from start to finish, and surely my history book of the year -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Ocean
Book SynopsisOcean is an ambitious history of the pre-Columbian Atlantic Ocean, a story that begins with the formation of the mid-Atlantic ridge some 200 million years ago and ends with the Castilian conquest of the Canary Islands in the fifteenth century, which provided a template for the methods used by the Spanish in their colonisation of the New World.John Haywood argues that the perception that Atlantic history begins with the first voyage of the celebrated Genoese navigator is a mistaken one, and that the seafaring and shipbuilding skills that enabled European global exploration and expansion did not arrive fully formed in the fifteenth century, but were learned over centuries and millennia in the Atlantic and its marginal seas. The pre-Columbian history of the Atlantic is the story of how Europeans learned to master the oceans. It is, therefore, key to understanding why it was Europeans, and not any of the world's other seafaring peoples, who discovered' the world.<
£24.00
Middleton Press Sussex Beach Trades: Sea Coal to Trippers
Book Synopsis
£999.99
National Maritime Museum Fish and Ships: A Nautical Miscellany
Book SynopsisWhen is a boat not a ship? Was Captain Kidd truly a pirate? What was the deadliest disaster at sea? Is the Bermuda Triangle dangerous? Are mermaids real? What does ‘three sheets to the wind’ mean? How do you tie a clove hitch knot? Ahoy! Want to learn the ropes of the maritime world? This light-hearted, illustrated miscellany is packed full of hundreds of amazing facts from the experts at the National Maritime Museum and Cutty Sark to put the wind in your sails. All aboard, it’s time to discover the world beyond the shore.
£11.69
Foxglove Publishing Ltd Clyde Rescue Cruisers: The RNLI’s rescue
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£8.66
