The Steamboat Era: A History of Fulton's Folly on American Rivers, 1807-1860 [Hardcover]

S. L. Kotar (Author), J. E. Gessler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2009

The steamboat evokes images of leisurely travel, genteel gambling, and lively commerce, but behind the romanticized view is an engineering marvel that led the way for the steam locomotive. From the steamboat's development by Robert Fulton to the dawn of the Civil War, the new mode of transportation opened up America's frontiers and created new trade routes and economic centers.

Firsthand accounts of steamboat accidents, races, business records and river improvements are collected here to reveal the culture and economy of the early to mid-1800s, as well as the daily routines of crew and passengers. A glossary of steamboat terms and a collection of contemporary accounts of accidents round out this history of the riverboat era.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

S.L. Kotar has been writing (together with J.E. Gessler) for more than four decades, beginning with scripts for television's Gunsmoke. For many years, they published the iconoclastic Civil War and 19th-century life magazine The Kepi. They have written numerous novels, articles on non-invasive cardiology and, due out soon, a textbook on telemetry monitoring and a book about the Riverboat television series. The author lives in St. Louis.

J.E. Gessler lives in St. Louis.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (October 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786443871
• ISBN-13: 978-0786443871
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,639,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

S. L. Kotar and J. E. Gessler have been writing together for more than four decades. Their earliest success was in selling a script to GUNSMOKE, entitled "Kitty's Love Affair" (CBS' title, not ours; there was no affair, as opposed to "Matt's Love Story," where there was an affair). According to John Mantley (executive producer) and Jack Miller (story consultant) this was the highest-rated episode in the series' 20 year history.
We published the iconclastic Civil War and 19th-Century magazine "The Kepi" for many years, developing several important articles on "Stonewall Jackson." We created and ran the authorized web site for Timothy Dalton for almost two decades and also the authorized web site for Darren McGavin and Kathie Browne (www.darrenmcgavin.net). Upcoming books include "Riverboat: The Evolution of a Television Series," from BearManor due out before Christmas, 2009, a text on full-disclosure telemetry monitoring (non-invastive cardiology) in March, 2010, and a book on the development of Ballooning in Europe and the United States, 1700-1800's, for McFarland, due out in the fall of 2010.
Our interests include modern non-invasive cardiology, all studies involving the 19th-Century, including the Civil War, and baseball. We are huge Whitey Herzog fans and hope this great manager and ambassador of the game is elected to the Hall of Fame in December, 2010. We write fiction in many genre, including Civil War (blockade-running), Westerns, science fiction, horror and psychological novels.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "THE STEAMBOAT ERA", November 24, 2009

By 

Howard A. Peretti (Burien, Wa. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Steamboat Era: A History of Fulton's Folly on American Rivers, 1807-1860 (Hardcover)

A thoroughly researched and written account of the time when these boats dominated the river waterways. If you're interested in this subject, then this book is a MUST read.