Story of the Titanic Postcards
The splendor and tragedy of the legendary "Titanic" captured in dramatic photo and illustration cardsShe was "unsinkable" -- a splendid monument to modern engineering and nautical design. But on her maiden voyage, during the night of April 14, 1912, the White Star superliner Titanic struck an iceberg and became a legend -- not for its highly publicized "indestructibility," but because of the catastrophe that took the lives of more than 1,500 passengers.In this remarkable collection, twenty-four reproductions of historic photographs and paintings recapture the character, magnitude, spirit, and tragedy of the great ship. Included are photos of the Titanic in dry dock and on trial runs, its captain, the ship's gigantic engine and rudder, a charmingly outfitted sunroom, and a magnificent stateroom. There are also authentic photographs of grim-faced survivors aboard the rescue ship Carpathia and of the ship's remains on the ocean floor.This thrilling card collection will fascinate collectors, historians, and anyone captivated by the splendor of ocean liners of the past.
Whale Ships and Whaling
The mystery, excitement, and romance of whaling have fired the human imagination since ancient times. And although many books have been written about whales and whaling, few have presented as comprehensive a pictorial survey of the whale ships of all periods as the present -- and now rare -- volume. Over 200 vintage engravings, drawings, and photographs depict a magnificent fleet of barks, brigs, cutters, and other whaling vessels, including interior views and interesting details.You'll also find photographs and prints of actual whaling implements (blubber forks, harpoons, lances, cutting spades, etc.), whaling guns, boating implements, and other tools and equipment of the whalers of yesteryear. Additional pictorial highlights include a 1621 engraving of Mass being celebrated on the back of a whale; a wood engraving of the ship "Maria" of New Bedford built in 1782 (oldest whaler in the U.S. in 1853); a Currier and Ives lithograph of a sperm whale, "In A Flurry;" and a revealing series of prints documenting the whaler "Charles W. Morgan" of New Bedford.Most of the prints have been culled from private sources, especially the celebrated Macpherson and Forbes collections, and are generally inaccessible. They have been painstakingly reproduced here, making them widely available to anyone interested in this fascinating chapter of maritime history. George Francis Dow, one of this century's foremost authorities on sailing vessels, selected the illustrations and contributed an expert, well-researched text outlining the history of whaling over three centuries, with special attention to the whaling industry of colonial New England.
American Sailing Ships
Master seaman, shipbuilder, and nautical chronicler Charles G. Davis here charts an anecdotal, highly personal course through our rich nautical history. Written in a style both entertaining and informal through which bubbles a genuine love of sailing vessels and sea lore, American Sailing Ships evokes the very feel of salt spray and rolling decks. In nearly 140 photographs, prints, and plans (most drawn by the author, an accomplished marine architect), you'll find a first-rate cross-section of a wide range of sailing ships from the eighteenth through early twentieth centuries. Here too is knowledgeable discussion of ship size, design, proportion, rigging details, and more. Included are Block Islanders, Clippers, Quoddy Boats, Packet Ships, Chebacco Boats, Bugeyes, Pinkys, Oyster Luggers, Fishing Schooners, Frigates, and others. American Sailing Ships offers lively discourse on shipbuilders such as 18th-century American designer Joshua Humphreys, whose frigates had no equal among the sailing men-of-war of any other nation; illuminating insights regarding crews, chains of command and life at sea; an account of how the Gloucester-built chebacco boat Fame earned the right to that name as a privateer during the War of 1812, outsailing and capturing vessels ten times its weight; and much more. Davis's classic work is sure to intrigue sailing enthusiasts, historians, Americana buffs, and model builders. American Sailing Ships, here in its first popularly priced paperback edition, promises the imaginative reader an unforgettable taste of seafaring excitement.
Story of the Titanic As Told by Its Survivors
Why does the sinking of the Titanic hold such fascination for us? Many reasons have been advanced for the continuing fascination of this epic tragedy, but none, we think, can contribute as much to an understanding of it as the four accounts collected in this volume.All four authors were survivors, and each presents the catastrophe from his own viewpoint; the icy waters, the cries of the drowning, the confusion, and the heroism, are given an intensely personal immediacy.This volume contains, complete and unabridged, "The Loss of the S.S. Titanic," by Lawrence Beesley, and "The Truth about the Titanic," by Col. Archibald Gracie. Both are full-length books published soon after the disaster. Each has become extremely rare today. The third story in this volume, "Titanic," was written by one of the only officers to survive the catastrophe, Commander Lightoller. It includes the story of the "white-washing" inquiries into the Titanic's safety measures. The last section is a dramatic tale by the Titanic's surviving wireless operator, Harold Bride.
