Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes: Legends and Lore, Pirates and More! [Paperback]

Michael J. Varhola (Author), Paul G. Hoffman (Illustrator), Frederick Stonehouse (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0762744928 | ISBN-13: 978-0762744923 | Edition: 1st

Twenty-one riveting stories and illustrations about ships that met their end in the treacherous waters of the Great Lakes, such as: British gunboat H.M.S. Speedy in 1804, American Navy brig U.S.S. Niagara in 1820, Civil War steamer Island Queen in 1864, the infamous freighter Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975, and many more!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

ACTION-PACKED STORIES OF SHIPS SUCH AS:

SS Benajmin Noble • SS Carl D. Bradley • SS Eastland • SS Edmund Fitzgerald • SS G. P. Griffith • SS Henry Steinbrenner • SS Island Queen • SS Kaliyuga • SS Kamloops • SS Lady Elgin • SS Mataafa • SS Noronic

 

AHOY, MATE!

Step into the past and aboard the decks of these twenty-one proud vessels, each one launched with high hopes but doomed finally to disaster. From the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the last major freighter lost on the lakes, to the Le Griffin, the ill-fated liner that mysteriously disappeared during a ruthless storm, author Michael J. Varhola spins these tales with heart-pounding drama. Whether battered by hurricane-force gales, gouged by hidden rocks, or simply sabotaged by poor judgment, these ships live on in the most compelling oceangoing stories you've ever read.

About the Author

Michael J. Varhola is a freelance journalist, author or co-author of numerous books and innumerable articles, publisher of several publications, a veteran of the U.S. Army, and an avid sailor who is rated to pilot vessels up to 50 feet in length. A native of the port city of Erie, Pennsylvania, he grew up listening to stories about shipping on the Great Lakes from his father, who served as a merchant seaman aboard the S.S. North American. He lives in Springfield, Virginia.

 

Frederick Stonehouse, noted Great Lakes maritime historian and lecturer, is author of more than 25 books.  

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 1st edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762744928
• ISBN-13: 978-0762744923
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,076,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy read, January 9, 2009

By 

Sam B - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes: Legends and Lore, Pirates and More! (Paperback)

I just received this book and it took me all of two days to finish it (I like to read). The chapters are short and easy to read just one or two (or all of them) in a sitting. I wish the author would have gone into a little more detail on each of the shipwrecks though. Overall, I would reccommend this book to anyone who likes maritime history in the Great Lakes. There are a lot of nautical terms [it is a book about ships] and although there is a glossary in the back of the book a few of the terms, such as draft, do not appear so a basic knowledge of boats is helpful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bubblegum history, January 10, 2011

By 

Daniel A. Van Beek "second story editorial" (Benton Harbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes: Legends and Lore, Pirates and More! (Paperback)

I picked up this title from my local library with the express purpose of reading it and then later purchasing it. However, I'll hold off. I'm a big fan of Great Lakes maritime history, even being a member of the GLSHS (Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society). While the editor of this collection of stories had the best of intentions, I feel like many of the stories fall flat. Some are fantastic, others feel unfinished. Overall, the work suffers from a lack of historical perspective. More was put into the spinning of a tale than the presentation of fact. While this was not a "history" per se, it could have been a better meld of the two. I understand the controversy behind the Wikipedia lifting mentioned by another reviewer. It's possible. It always is. If the author/editor was not personally writing each story, his contracted author might have lifted those sections in a moment of desperation. But that really doesn't matter.

If you're looking for a quick read that gives a 50,000-foot view on some of the more fascinating shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, this is a wonderful primer. Move on to the more historical reads next and visit the GLSHS at Whitefish Point in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to see some of these things for yourself. (It's near the site of the legendary Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Surprised, October 14, 2007

By 

Carl L. Hickson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes: Legends and Lore, Pirates and More! (Paperback)

This was an excellent read. I have always enjoyed books about shipwrecks. This book delves into shipwrecks of the Great Lakes opening the door to an area explored little by writers of this topic. Mr. Varhola takes his readers away from the warm waters of the Caribbean and recounts historical tales of lost ships in the colder waters in the American Great Lakes. The histories of the various ships were fascinating and the imagery of one or two short stories brought life to this topic. As a fan of historical fiction I hope Mr. Varhola will utilize his well researched knowledge to create a few tales that dig deeper into this subject matter.