Ghost Liners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships [Hardcover]

Robert Ballard (Author), Rick Archbold (Author), Ken Marschall (Illustrator, Contributor)

Book Description

Grade Level: 4 and up

The Titanic is not the only great ocean liner to sink in modern times. Robert Ballard, one of the discoverers of the sunken Titanic, now retells the story of that great calamity and goes on to describe the sinking of four other seagoing giants. Showing readers what it's like to dive down to a gigantic wreck, he tells the story of the Empress of Ireland, which sank with more loss of life than was experienced on the Titanic; the Lusitania, whose sinking helped propel the United States into World War I; the Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic, which was sunk by German submarines; and most recently the Andrea Doria, stuck and sunk off the coast of Massachusetts in 1956. With superb and thrilling illustrations by Ken Marschall, this is a book for whose interest in sea disasters has been whetted by the enormous attention the Titanic has recently received.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-The discoverer of this century's most sought after ship wreckage recounts his exploration of the Titanic. Photographs taken during those dangerous dives plus eerily realistic artwork support the awe and reverence Ballard reveals in his text. In additional chapters he examines other, equally sensational ship disasters of the 20th century. He tells of the Lusitania, the Britannic, the Andrea Doria's collision with the Stockholm, and the Empress of Ireland's sinking in the St. Lawrence River. Each story is accompanied by black-and-white and full-color archival and contemporary photographs, diagrams, and magnificent full-color illustrations. Photographs of the sunken ships and artifacts on the ocean floor and riverbeds add notes of sobering reality to seemingly mythic tales. A few well-chosen quotes from passengers and crew about their experiences add a measure of poignancy. Careful observation of the destroyed ships and historical records reveal the often preventable causes of these accidents. Ballard's Exploring the Titanic (Scholastic, 1988) details his development as an undersea explorer, the drama of the sinking, and the thrill of viewing the ship 70 years after her disappearance. Given the strength of Titanic fever that has gripped public imagination, the stories in Ghost Liners will be devoured by students, history buffs, and all who are fascinated by human tragedy.
Ann G. Brouse, Big Flats Branch Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-7. Best known for the undersea discovery of the Titanic, Ballard introduces readers to that shipwreck and four others of the twentieth century: the Empress of Ireland, the Lusitania, the Britannic, and the Andrea Doria, which collided with the Stockholm. Each chapter describes the exploration of one of the wrecks and offers information about the ship's origins, amenities, importance, and why it sank. In each chapter, one passenger is profiled in a sidebar, giving readers a personal story and a photograph to bring the experience more sharply into focus. Exceptionally detailed dramatic paintings by Ken Marschall, show the ships as they appeared on the water, while sinking, and beneath the sea. Many period photos, posters, and sketches set the scene; photographs of undersea exploration show the ships and their artifacts as they appear today. The large, attractive format and informative text combine to make this an appealing book on a subject that continues to fascinate young people. Add this to the Titanic bibliography in the March 15 issue of Booklist. Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; 1st edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316080209
• ISBN-13: 978-0316080200
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #814,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Children's Books > History > Modern

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT!!!!, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghost Liners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships (Hardcover)

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes studing TITANIC, ANDREA DORIA, LUSITANIA, THE EMPRESS OF IRELAND, OR MY PERSONAL FAVORITE, BRITTANIC. I have studyed these ships most of my life and have found this is the book the best. Dr. Ballard gives a hands on look at these ships with actual photos and paintings by the well know artist, Ken Marshall. If you are in to TITANIC and have read this book, I would recomend that you purchace TITANIC: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY by Don Lynch for the most complete info and photos

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young people need modern heroes - Robert Ballard is real., November 30, 2003

By 

Frank T. Manheim (Fairfax VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghost Liners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships (Hardcover)

Robert Ballard is one of the few genuine adventurer - hero models available to young people of the 21st Century. He is is incapable of being boring. He's somehow interesting even when he's talking about a can of paint. He has manifold unquestioned achievements, both scientific and spectacular in the public eye. His flair for photography and for commissioning or selecting exciting paintings of underwater scenes is unparalleled. His feeling for developing memorable themes, in this case lost ships, is gripping for both adults who allow their imaginations to seized by large events effectively told, as well as children.

At times one hears unjustified carping from scientists at Ballard's role as a popularizer. At others, not unreasonable arguments are raised that some of his books don't offer enough credit to others. I have known Ballard from the time of his PhD dissertation at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and onwards. I prefer to interpret Ballard's telling of major stories with simplifications as part of his ability to reach and affect large audiences, including young people who have become one of his major targets and goals in later life. Kids simply don't have the life experience and maturity to weigh all nuances of complex phenomena like scientific and exploration discovery.

Ballard has made extraordinary efforts with his Jason outreach programs to enliven science education for school children, facilitating realtime "exploration" opportunities to hundreds of thousands of young people. Ballard has a sense of personal ethics (refreshing in a "me" generation), being reluctant, for example, to allow souvenirs to be retrieved from the Titanic and other wrecks. Even though one can argue scientific and other value for such retrieval, I attribute to him sense of purpose and principle along with other unusual qualities as a person and author.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures and text, November 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghost Liners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships (Hardcover)

Awesome pictures! Ken Marschall did a wonderful job with the illustrations, and the photographs were nice, too. The text explained clealy what had happened to each ship, and the controversy about some of them. I really learned something from this book.