Customer Reviews

Shipwrecks of Florida: A Comprehensive Listing

5 star:		(3)
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Shipwrecks of Florida : a comprehensive listing is great reading and a fantastic reference book. Anyone interested in underwater archaeology or shipwreck recovery should read this book and keep it as part of their library. I have been involved in the field of shipwreck recovery for eleven years, and I also manage the popular web site TreasureExpeditions.com. I feel that this will help to qualify my review of this book. Let me start by saying that I have had the opportunity to meet and work with Steven Singer. Steve is a person of high integrity and knowledge, all of which are displayed in the writing of this book. He has created an invaluable reference book that not only has probably one of the largest collection of shipwreck locations, but also covers other valuable topics such as; Research, Search and salvage, Wreck identification, Artifact conservation and Rights to wrecks. I have an extensive collection of material on underwater archaeology and shipwreck recovery, yet I have found this book to be invaluable to me. This book stands out as one of the true classics in the field of shipwreck recovery and underwater archaeology. Brad "Goldfinder" Johnson

This book is fantastic and I do believe a great starting point for those just getting interest in shipwrecks and underwater treasure hunting in general.

The main format of the book is structured as a reference listing. I have little to no interest in tall tales, semi-fiction or baseless lore that's more a byprouct of the authors embillishments and imagination than a matter of historical fact; needless to say, books on shipwrecks are apt to drift off into this sort of thing. 'Shipwrecks of Florida' performs beautifully, in this regard... The reference section offers just the facts, well presented relevant while being kept as succinct as possible.

A meaningful portion of the book is indeed dedicated to "Shipwreck Narratives", however, again. These are all fact based, usually first hand accounts of survivors or witnesses and rooted in historical record, rather than contemporary, creative fabrication. Good stuff.

There are also to-the-point entries on artifact conservation, wreckers rights, wreck identification, etc.
I don't throw around five star ratings unless something really deserves it. This does. Five stars, no brainer. If you're looking to assemble a library on Shipwrecks, this is a must.

The only thing 'sad' here is that treasure hunting in Florida is no longer the free 'pursuit of happiness' thing it once was. High-minded people with the best of intentions in-tow pretty much killed the dream in the late 1980's and now, the State controls the entire show, stem to stern. For-profit salvors- the very people who invented most of the underwater location sciences and recovery equipment, the people who did the grunt work involved with locating most of the wrecks and recovered all of that history before it was buried beneath sand on the ocean floor- are held how liable to the flights-of-fancy of college professors and academics who believe it's better to leave something on the ocean floor and preserve an 'everything belongs to everyone' type delusional mentality, rather than let the most motivated people bring it to the surface and possibly enjoy some the reward for themselves.

Anyway, enough lamentations on the broader philosophies here. This is a good book. There's still treasure salvage to be done, the dream hasn't been killed entirely and this book will keep your mind well occupied with thoughts of going down and getting it.

a fine book for anyone looking into a shipwreck in florida or seeking information about shipwrecks ---will laid out and easy to use.