Customer Reviews

America's Lost Treasure

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

America's Lost Treasure by Thommy Thompson may be the only "coffee table" book that readers literally cannot put down and will ultimately read from cover to cover. Anyone who has read Gary Kinder's book Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea knows the tale of Tommy Thompson's discovery of the SS Central America that sunk in 1857, laden with gold from the California Gold Rush. The two books compliment each other with very little overlap. Ship of Gold tells the fascinating story of the shipwreck itself and how a young engineer, Tommy Thompson, made his dream come true in locating and salvaging the wreck under incredibly difficult conditions and with scientific precision. Thompson's book demonstrates the story in beautiful, glowing color photographs with an equally interesting narrative. The precision, scientific knowledge and attention to detail that led him to the treasure in the first place is evident in this carefully prepared book that shows the reader what was found and emphasizes the importance of the historic artifacts located.

Tommy Thompson's "America's Lost Treasure" is a fantastic history lesson, two exciting and intertwined adventure stories, and a picture text on how to do new and wonderful things. It is a coffee-table companion to Gary Kinder's "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea", and neither book is really complete without the other. The awesome pictures in "America's Lost Treasure" are exactly what the numismatic world has been clamoring for since the discovery and beginning of the salvage of the SS Central America first hit the news in 1988. The lavish use of 19th century pictures, drawings, and accounts of the sailing and sinking of the SS Central America add to the careful archaeological records of the search and salvage of her wreck. But far the most impressive thing in this book are the stunning pictures of the tons of gold coins and bars both scattered on the deep ocean floor and arranged for display after recovery.

For an entertaining and educational read and two great adventure stories -- one in 1857 and one in the 1980's -- I highly recommend both "America's Lost Treasure" by Tommy Thompson and "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea" by Gary Kinder.

You really must buy this book. And you must really buy it WITH "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea". At first I resented that "Ship of GOld" had no pictures in it; it was all text. And I still feel that way. But now I realize that the pictures of the disaster, and the history, and how the ship was found and the gold recovered, really DID deserve its own book. This book, along with its companion, "Ship of Gold", is my choice for BOOK of the YEAR!

Having read "Ship of Gold in Deep Blue Sea"; I was thrilled to find out there was a "picture" book of same story~! And ordered it right away. Pictures are absolutely captivating. I hope Tommy Thompson will salvage another, and this time do a book, picture book and video.

Tommy Thompson is one methodical scientist. He found a ship that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1857 that had eluded searchers for 130 years. He has taken the same methodical approach in creating this book "America's Lost Treasure".

Gary Kinder wrote a 1998 bestseller on Thompson's search entitled "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea". It is one of the best pageturners I have ever read! More amazing is that it actually happened! The ship was the United States Mail Steamship "Central America" which was making rounds between the Atlantic coast of Panama and New York City during the California Gold Rush era. She was a side paddlewheeler steamship and was hauling a huge cargo of gold ingots, freshly minted gold coins, gold nuggets, and gold dust along with 38,000 pieces of mail and 578 passengers. Much of the gold was being brought to New York to shore up the bullion holdings of banks that had been putting out too much paper money without the available gold reserves to back it. Most of the passengers were returning from the Gold Rush; many were women and children. The ship sank after a heroic battle with a hurricane in 1857 off the Carolinas taking about 425 lives with her and all the gold. Both books chronicle Thompson's epic adventure finding the ship and recovering the gold down 8000 feet underwater where even the US Navy couldn't effectively recover items. Kinder's book clocks in at over 500 riveting pages but, is largely without pictures of all the incredible finds. "America's Lost Treasure" fills in that photographic void quite admirably in it's 186 pages.

"America's Lost Treasure" is broken down into a background history of America at the time leading up to the Central America's sinking, a detailed account of the CA's fateful last voyage, a background of the equipment and people involved in the search and rediscovery of the CA, the discovery of the ship and the 'Garden of Gold', a review of the personal items found at the bottom other than the gold, and a section on the other scientific discoveries made at the site such as decay processes and new species of life found. There are hordes of very appropriate photographs that perfectly illustrate the topic discussed in the very readable and concise narration. The page layout is very well done and makes full use of the book's ten inches by ten inches size. Particularly interesting is the discovery and opening of several intact passenger's trunks revealing intact clothing and still visible photographs! The gold, however, is the expected showstopper.

Overall, I can't recommend this book enough when read in companion with "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea". Some people will bristle with disfavor on the efforts in general to recover items from this wreck feeling it is a desecration of history and wrong. I couldn't help but be astounded by the disciplined and rigorous scientific and engineering skills put on display in the efforts. This is an absolutely fascinating pictorial account of a remarkable period in the history of America. It will rivet your attention from beginning to end and have you looking back at sections again and again. It is one of the best coffee table books in existence. The lost treasure found is truly breathtaking and this book is an absolutely worthy account of it! VERY highly recommended!

The Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea fired my imagination about what a shipwreaked steamer would look like after over 130 years on the bottom of the Atlantic. I was thrilled to find Tommy Thompson's "America's Lost Treasure". The pictures from the bottom are extraordinary and the story from Tommy's perspective adds icing to the cake. What are Tommy's newest projects? I'd like to know.

Tommy Thompson is one of those unusual individuals with the fantastic mind of an inventor/engineer, yet with the ability to work with people to bring out their best. Our government should take note of this man, or hopefully they have, and give him the freedom to let his mind find solutions to many of our problems, as he has shown he can do in this book. It was an adventure, filled with suspense and I would recommend the picture book to go along with the text so you can see the magnificent photos of his find.

I read Gary Kinder's book and reviewed it here on Amazon.com on July 28, 1998. '"Ship of gold and BOOK OF GOLD" too. A must read! -jimmyjay' Thank you, Tommy Thompson, for adding the pictures. These are the two best books I have read in 10 years.

This book is chronologically a sequel to the narrative "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea" by Gary Kinder, in which this writer masterfully described the tragic history of the "Central America" and the details of the successful recovery (by Tommy Thompson's group) of the gold she carried when she sank in 1857. Kinder's name is not mentioned in the body or the index of this book. What happened?

The good news is that this is a spectacular book: it is beautifully printed and illustrated. The pictures of the sunken "Central America" loaded with gold and lying in deep waters since it went under are simply breathtaking. The gold ingots, and coins and nuggets and dust have acquired a queer beauty during the years they have rested in the sea bed; the luster of the metal is still there even as it has been affected by is 131 year immersion in the depths: to be crawled over and probed by the strange denizens that thrive down there, and to react to the mysterious chemistry that is created in the deep.

Yes, this is a beautiful book that is irresistible to look at. When exposed to the passinge gaze of others it is invariably picked up and held, and exclamations of awe become intermingled with "Can I borrow it?" One must be strong if the book is to remain ours.

The not so good part is the feeling of sheer manipulation that the book imparts, based on what the book does not say--but should. I remember how distressing it was that "Ship of Gold" lacked clear photographs of the treasure found. It seemed downright stingy not to publish at least a few pictures of the loot. Well, here are the missing photos, yours for [item price] plus shipping. So what is missing in this one?

For one there is no manifest of what was taken out of the "Central America." While in the previous book (if I remember correctly) it was stated that the ship sank with 20 (or so) TONS of gold, in this book the author is ever so elusive about totals.Here he speaks in these tersm: "In addition to many tons of gold..." or "This was compounded by the sinking of the "Central America," which sent its huge load of gold...to the bottom of the sea." It isn't that Tommy Thompson doesn't know how to count: "Bound for New York with 578 passangers and crew and 38,000 pieces of mail, the "Central America" also contained tons of gold..."

Yes, there are lots of beautiful pictures of the artifacts and even clothing that was brought up, but no accounting of exactly what was extracted. The absence of this accounting (just how many tons of gold, how many coins, bars, ingots, how many glass bottles) renders the book of limited historical value. It would have taken no more than a couple of pages to furnish such information, but one feels the absence of this data was a conscious decision of the author.

In summary, if you want to regale your eyes with the treasures of this ship, get the book. I you are interested in the exact details of this find and recovery, don't.

Tommy Thompson is one of those unusual individuals with the fantastic mind of an inventor/engineer, yet with the ability to work with people to bring out their best. Our government should take note of this man, or hopefully they have, and give him the freedom to let his mind find solutions to many of our problems, as he has shown he can do in this book. It was an adventure, filled with suspense and I would recommend the picture book to go along with the text so you can see the magnificent photos of his find.