Customer Reviews

Lost Liners

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ever since I first heard of the Titanic, ships have fascinated me. Lost Liners delivers exactly what I want. It is an excellent source for research and for reading material. One reason it is so excellent is that it doesn't say anything like "Chapter 1; The Lusitania" but instead tells the entire story of transatlantic shipping, and when a ship disaster occured, it focuses on that. There is a lot to love about this book, from the fabulous paintings to the endless learning quality. I highly recommend it to anyone, and even if you aren't someone who loves to read, I am sure you will find something to like in Lost Liners.

This book gives an outline of the history of ocean liners and has great photos of several wrecks, I wish he'd have put more pictures in of some of them, such as the Republic, Brittanic and Empress of Ireland, I also wished that he would have put in more information on the German lines, they were just as important as the British ones! All in all though it was a great read and the photos that did fill the book were impressive.

Not only is this book beautifully illustrated, it is also beautifully written. Detailing the history of an age long gone, it brings the reader back to a time where shipbuilding and transatlantatic crossings were the blossoming industries of a developing world. And, as the title indicates, it travels through the greatest maritime disasters of history. I devoured this book -- it was one of the most fascinating things I have ever read. The illustrations are breathtaking and horrifically beautiful. It details the sinkings and destructions of the Andrea Doria, the Empress of Ireland, the Britannic, the Lusitania, and the Normandie. It also provides information about ships that did not sink, such as the White Star Line's "Old Reliable" Olympic, and the Cunard beauty Mauretania. And, since the book is by Robert Ballard, the reader is also privy to information about the discovery of each wreck.

God, I loved this book! It was a wonderful read and a real keeper to refer to time and again. Great histories and pictures.

Before the age of flight, the only way to cross the vast oceans was by boat-large ones that could hold thousands of people. Ocean liners. Companies from Cunard, to the White Star Line began to try to outdo each other by building the largest, fastest, and most luxurious liner in the world. One by one, ships like the Lusitania, Titanic and Olympic made its debut. And one by slow one, they soon sank into the waters they were made to sail on. However is that all we hear on this long forgotten mode of transportation? Lusitania-sunk by a German U-boat in 1915? Titanic-sunk by an iceberg Sunday/Monday April 14/15 1912? This book explores these boats and many others you rarely hear of. Normandie, Andrea Doria, Empress of Ireland, and Titanic's long forgotten sister: Britannic. As these ships sunk they opened up a new era of exploration. Included in this book is full in-depth reports of the ships and their legacy. Also a report on the discovery and exploration of the ship's ruined hulls. As with other books and articles by Robert Ballard, these books will really keep you involved with a subject almost long forgotten.

I rate this item on a five-star scale for two resons. One reason is because of the richness of information in the content of this book, such as the generous amount of photos offered to enhance your reading and the more-than-average amount of information offered. Another great reason is because of the great detail and precision Mr. Ballard has put into this book. Some of the liners reviewed in this book include the:

* Great Eastern

* Brittania

* Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse

* Titanic

* Lusitania/Mauretania

* Empress of Ireland

* Brittanic

* Queen Mary/Queen Elizabeth

* Normandie

* Ile de France

* Andrea Doria

In general, this book is truly one that you will enjoy to read. The author, Robert D. Ballard is a marine explorer, famous for being the dicoverer of the famous ship R.M.S. Titanic. You will be astonished by how much expertise and knowlege Mr. Ballard offers in this book.

Another nice big coffee table book about the great oceanliner era of the 1840s to 1960s that can be read by everyone.

As this is a book about the most famous wrecks, it natually follows the plot of the before, during, and aftermath format but doesn't delve too deeply into each ships famous demise.

The most popular aspect that I found appealing was the use of those magnificeint artist pictures (of the wrecks as they are today) that the author has used in his many other puplications.

In fact this book is a useful introduction for anyone, especially the young, interested in exploring into this often overplayed subject.

This book is a great accompaniment to the author's other works in this subject.

In this, Ballard offers a short history of the evolution of the ocean liner and how they came to be.

The only way to cross for a long, long time was by sea, but before the liners came the tramp steamers and cargo ships where you'd be lucky to get passage. The Charles Dickens account of an early crossing sounds like it was a harrowing prospect.

Ballard obviously chose the better known lost liners to be the centerpiece of this book, i.e., Titanic, Andrea Doria, but I'm glad he went to see the remains of the Empress of Ireland, which has become a major tourist attraction for those willing to risk their lives to dive on her.

I first learned about the Empress through Clive Cussler's "Night Probe!" From there, I found little to read about her, but this helped and the recent book "Dark Descent" is truly the best of these.

Going inside her was interesting, and spooky: that skull photo was a grim reminder of more than a thousand deaths. Sadly the Empress was protected too late, and like Titanic she's been picked clean.

The Brittanic was also good to see; her condition and Ballard's dream of turning her into a museum site are discussed. I would like to see that occur.

The ends of vessels like the Normandie may not have been wrecks, but they hold a special place in history, and of these great ships.

I'd like to see some others; like of the Republic, the White Star Line vessel that sent out the first radio distress call, and the Seawise University (the Queen Elizabeth), which ended in a fire as she was being fitted out to become a floating college.

The paintings? Again A+ for Ken Marschall!

I got the book in a bout post-Titanic-movie excitement. I didn't learn much about the Titanic incident although the pictures are breathtaking. This book has an excellent history of ocean liners from the 1850s through the 1960s in a nutshell, well illustrated with pictures and photographs and was quite informative on other shipwrecks and incidents, including Titanic-twins Britannic and Olympic, on the Lusitania, Andrea Doria, and others. Excellent coffee table book that has generated a lot of excitement from my guests.

Lost Liners depicts the history of the trans-Atlantic passenger lines and their grand ships. Using great illustrations, the book does a good job of telling the story of these sunken vessels, leaving you feeling it was a shame they had to go down.