America's Lost Treasure [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Tommy Thompson (Author) "On August 20, 1857, more than 40 passengers boarded a sidewheel steamship at the Vallejo Street Wharf in San Francisco..." (more)
Key Phrases: San Francisco, New York, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This volume shows the successful recovery of artifacts from a ship that sank in 1857 carrying gold from the rich California mines.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 191 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; 1st edition (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871137321
• ISBN-13: 978-0871137326
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #127,265 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American's Lost Treasure, February 20, 2000

By	Shirley Wilson (Hendersonville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

America's Lost Treasure by Thommy Thompson may be the only "coffee table" book that readers literally cannot put down and will ultimately read from cover to cover. Anyone who has read Gary Kinder's book Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea knows the tale of Tommy Thompson's discovery of the SS Central America that sunk in 1857, laden with gold from the California Gold Rush. The two books compliment each other with very little overlap. Ship of Gold tells the fascinating story of the shipwreck itself and how a young engineer, Tommy Thompson, made his dream come true in locating and salvaging the wreck under incredibly difficult conditions and with scientific precision. Thompson's book demonstrates the story in beautiful, glowing color photographs with an equally interesting narrative. The precision, scientific knowledge and attention to detail that led him to the treasure in the first place is evident in this carefully prepared book that shows the reader what was found and emphasizes the importance of the historic artifacts located.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best GOLD-SALVAGE book of all time., December 12, 1998

By	John Wright ([e-mail]) (Saint Joseph, Michigan) - See all my reviews

Tommy Thompson's "America's Lost Treasure" is a fantastic history lesson, two exciting and intertwined adventure stories, and a picture text on how to do new and wonderful things. It is a coffee-table companion to Gary Kinder's "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea", and neither book is really complete without the other. The awesome pictures in "America's Lost Treasure" are exactly what the numismatic world has been clamoring for since the discovery and beginning of the salvage of the SS Central America first hit the news in 1988. The lavish use of 19th century pictures, drawings, and accounts of the sailing and sinking of the SS Central America add to the careful archaeological records of the search and salvage of her wreck. But far the most impressive thing in this book are the stunning pictures of the tons of gold coins and bars both scattered on the deep ocean floor and arranged for display after recovery.

For an entertaining and educational read and two great adventure stories -- one in 1857 and one in the 1980's -- I highly recommend both "America's Lost Treasure" by Tommy Thompson and "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea" by Gary Kinder.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and interesting TREASURE for your very own!, March 10, 1999

By A Customer

You really must buy this book. And you must really buy it WITH "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea". At first I resented that "Ship of GOld" had no pictures in it; it was all text. And I still feel that way. But now I realize that the pictures of the disaster, and the history, and how the ship was found and the gold recovered, really DID deserve its own book. This book, along with its companion, "Ship of Gold", is my choice for BOOK of the YEAR!