Customer Reviews

Graveyard of the Lakes (Great Lakes Books)

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Although many books have been written about Great Lakes shipwrecks, Thompson's book offers a new perspective by analyzing the causes of wrecks on a large scale. One can see the various factors that made the Lakes particularly dangerous to navigators throughout their history. Thompson's research is equally impressive. Unlike many other books of the genre, Thompson has actually consulted, in most cases, primary archival sources, in developing his wreck accounts, rather than simply rehashing the work of other authors. Thompson's presentation avoids dry regurgitation of statistics and details through an accessible and entertaining writing style that makes the book a better read than similar books on the subject. Although the book is not comprehensive and contains a few forgiveable historical errors, it remains one of the best books on Great Lakes shipwrecks to come out in recent years.

If you are a maritime enthusiast, Great Lakes visitor, or a history buff then this book is a must own. The pictorials are excellent and each are followed by outstanding descriptions. This book outlines the Great Lakes shipwrecks and how unforgiving these lakes can be.

Mark Thompson is a scholar and a sailor. He has also been, in his lifetime, a soldier and a legislator. He is an honest, articulate man with a probing mind. He is also a raconteur with a fine sense of humor. Mark brings all this, and more, to his writing.

The shipwrecks described in GRAVEYARD OF THE LAKES are, in a sense, the exceptions that prove the rule. That is, for every shipwreck or foundering, there are hundreds if not thousands of successfully completed commercial voyages on the Great Lakes. By describing the wrecks and the tragedies and looking to discern overall patterns, we learn what keeps voyages from becoming wrecks and tragedies -- even if it is only not to let hubris reach critical mass.

Mark is no armchair historian. He knows firsthand whereof he writes. In this, of course, there is risk of not having adequate perspective. But in Mark's case, in my opinion, his nearness to his subject, particularly when writing of events which yet are in living memory, is what makes his writing incisive.

I have been, even recently, a shipmate of Mark Thompson. He and I, always in good humor, never lose an opportunity to point out each other's flaws. But I have no flaw to mention in regard to this book. Mark provides both an overall understanding of Great Lakes shipping and a specific understanding of day-to-day details. I highly recommend GRAVEYARD OF THE LAKES to anyone interested in Great Lakes shipping and its history.