Profusely illustrated with color illustrations

Some 200 superb photographs -- in long shots and close-ups -- capture exquisite interiors of world’s great "floating palaces" -- 1890s to 1980s: Titanic, �le de France, Queen Elizabeth, United States, Europa, more. Informative captions provide key details.

Since the end of the nineteenth century there has been a stunning succession of transatlantic liners, from the White Star Line's Oceanic of 1899 to the Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 of 2004. These floating palaces often contained luxurious staterooms, ballrooms and lounges for the rich, and noticeably more modest and basic accommodation for poorer travellers. Their designs and powerplants were often cutting-edge as each competed to be the largest, most luxurious and fastest ship on the Atlantic. As the tides of passenger demand rose and fell through the years and the world plunged twice into global conflict, these ships had to adapt to survive. Many of these vessels – including Mauretania, Olympic, the first Queen Mary and France – had long and glorious careers; others – Titanic, Lusitania and Normandie among them – suffered tragic endings. J. Kent Layton describes the heyday of the superliners and explains what life was like for passengers, both rich and poor.

This book documents the creation, from keel laying to christening, of one of the most ambitious passenger vessels of all time, Cunard Line's new flagship, the Queen Mary 2. The story of the Queen Mary 2 is told by noted maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham, whose engaging text takes us through the building of the ship and details its world-class amenities.

A magnificent tribute to the illustrious and ill-fated steamship. Normandiewas unquestionably the most beautiful ocean liner ever built. The world's largest at the time, she also became the world's fastest. Her art deco interiors were unrivaled: capacious, elegant, and chic, decorated by teams of France's most talented artists. YetNormandiewas plagued with frustrations-never attracting more passengers than the competition and tragically ending her days in flames at New York's Pier 88. Celebrated maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham confesses to a hypnotic fascination withNormandie. In this comprehensive volume, enriched by over 200 photographs and illustrations, he documents every aspect of the vessel's decorative antecedents, design, construction, and service. Always articulate, entertaining, and devastatingly well informed, Maxtone-Graham has created the definitiveNormandiepanegyric, a comprehensive and, at times, heartbreaking account of this fabled liner. 30 color and 175 black-and-white illustrations.

“A truly comprehensive publication, running the gamut from the first Atlantic sail-enhanced steamers to today’s remaining handful of combi-liners.” —Maritime Matters Before the advent of the jet age, ocean liners were the principal means of transport around the globe, and carried migrants and business people, soldiers and administrators, families, and lone travelers to every corner of the world. Though the ocean liner was born on the North Atlantic it soon spread to all the other oceans and in this new book the author addresses this huge global story. The account begins with Brunel’s Great Eastern and the early Cunarders, but with the rise in nationalism and the growth in empires in the latter part of the 19th century, and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the colonial powers of Spain, France, and Germany soon established shipping lines of their own, and transpacific routes were opened up by Japanese and American lines. The golden age between the two world wars witnessed huge growth in liner traffic to Africa, Australia and New Zealand, India, and the Far East, the French colonies, and the Dutch East and West Indies, but then, though there was a postwar revival, the breakup of empires and the arrival of mass air travel brought about the swan song of the liner. Employing more than 250 stunning photographs, the author describes not just the ships and routes, but interweaves the technical and design developments, covering engines, electric light, navigation and safety, and accommodation. A truly unique and evocative book for merchant ship enthusiasts and historians.

Praise for Great Atlantic Liners of the Twentieth Century in Colour includes 'a must for liner enthusiasts'. Ships Monthly

This book presents the largely unknown early history (1870-1900) of the American Steamship Company--an extremely colorful and eventful time replete with disasters and triumphs.