Treasures of the Spanish Main: Shipwrecked Galleons in the New World [Hardcover]

John Christopher Fine (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This is a story about the lust for gold and treasure,” writes John Christopher Fine. In the 1600s and 1700s, Spain dominated the oceans with its fleet of galleons. Coming from the New World, these ships filled their holds with gold, silver, and treasures beyond imagining. The seaway between Spain and the New World was dubbed “The Golden Highway.” On their journeys back across the seas, many ships were wrecked on reefs or destroyed by hurricanes. The watery depths now hold their treasures. Today, treasure divers seek their fortunes by attempting—sometimes successfully, sometimes fatally—to retrieve these hoards of riches. In Treasures of the Spanish Main, readers relive each voyage of long ago as well as witness the modern wreck divers’ efforts to extract its secrets.

Included are:
The 1622 fleet

The Concepcion
The Maravillas
The shipwreck off Jupiter Beach
The San Jose
The 1715 fleet
The 1733 fleet

The voyages of centuries long past come alive with Fine’s excellent historical detail. The treasure hunters of today—from Mel Fisher to Bob Weller—along with those of the past, create a mosaic of suspense and drama on the high seas and on the ocean floor.
A must-read for everyone interested in wreck diving, treasure, pirates, sailing, history, or just plain fun.

About the Author

John Christopher Fine is a marine biologist with a doctor of jurisprudence degree. He is the author of fifteen books, including award-winning books dealing with ocean pollution. He is a liaison officer of the United Nations Environment Programme and the Confederation Mondiale for ocean matters. He is a member of the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences in honor of his books in the field of education. He has received international recognition for his pioneering work investigating toxic waste contamination of our land and water resources.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1ST edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592287603
• ISBN-13: 978-1592287604
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > History > Europe > Portugal

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Salvage of Seven Treasure Ships, November 17, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treasures of the Spanish Main: Shipwrecked Galleons in the New World (Hardcover)

I live in Nevada, which if it were a country would be the third largest producer of gold in the world. Each year Nevada produces a bit more than 7,000,000 ounces of gold. Mr. Fine has looked at the Spanish records and in the years between 1493 and 1780 103,246,510 ounces of gold were produced and sent back to Spain in approximately 17,000 voyages. Some estimates are that 10% of those voyages never made it back to Spain. That's ten million ounces of gold at the bottom of the ocean somewhere. There are also emeralds, silver and other treasures.

Unfortunately, finding and then recovering anything of value is no simple matter. This book goes into detail about seven treasure ships that sunk and were then subsequently found and from which treasure has been removed. The sunken ships, the men who found them, and the results brought to the surface are discussed.

This is a beautifully printed, well illustrated, and written with a great understanding of the challenges faced by the salvagers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where was the editor?, November 19, 2010

By 

treasurebum - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Treasures of the Spanish Main: Shipwrecked Galleons in the New World (Hardcover)

I found the writing to be awkward, fragmentary, and amateurish, begging the question as to whether this was a translation from some other language. While I don't expect treasure hunters to emulate Hemingway in their story telling, I do expect their editors to do better policing of the work. The writing is so unpalatable that I have not found the patience to read through the entire book yet. I also found that I was looking for more depth with respect to the historical context and the contemporary work on the projects. A better personal narrative may aid in the contemporary discussion.

That being siad, I did find that there were some interesting factoids scattered throughout the book and plenty of excellent pictures. The material does have merit but needs substantial re-write for it to earn high marks from me.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent adventure, November 5, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treasures of the Spanish Main: Shipwrecked Galleons in the New World (Hardcover)

Treasures of the Spanish Main: Shipwrecked Galleons in the New World tells of gold, treasure, and fleets which promised riches to divers who would unearth them. It's a history of the ships who sailed the 'Golden Highway' laden with gold - and it uses both historical record and the diving explorations of modern treasure hunters to spice its story of pirates, wrecks, and history. An excellent adventure evolves.

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch