The First Atlantic Liner: Brunel’s Great Western Steamship - Hardcover

Doe, Helen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1445667207 ISBN 13: 9781445667201

Publisher: Amberley Publishing, 2017

Synopsis

The Great Western is the least known of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s three ships, being overshadowed by the later careers of the Great Britain and the Great Eastern. However, the Great Western was the first great success, confounding the critics in becoming the fastest ship to steam continuously across the Atlantic, and began the era of luxury transatlantic liners. It was a bold venture by Brunel and his colleagues, who were testing the limits of known technology. This book examines the businessmen, the shipbuilding committee and Brunel and looks at life on board for the crew and the passengers using diaries from the United States and England. The ship’s first voyage made headline news in New York and London and involved a race with the small steamship Sirius. The Great Western’s maiden voyage was a triumph, and this wooden paddle steamer became the wonder of her age. She linked antebellum New York with the London of Charles Dickens and the youthful Queen Victoria. The ship continued to carry the rich and the famous across the Atlantic for eighteen years.

About this title

About the Author:

Helen Doe is a well-known maritime historian who specialises in the nineteenth century. She gained her PhD at the University of Exeter, where she is a Fellow. Her other books include Enterprising Women in Shipping in the Nineteenth Century and she was a major contributor and co-editor of the award-winning The Maritime History of Cornwall. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a trustee of the British Commission for Maritime History and a trustee of the ss Great Britain.

Review:

'Restores the first of Brunel's ships to a central role in the history of commercial shipping, business, technology and engineering. A fitting tribute to a pioneer of modernity.'--Professor Andrew Lambert

'Helen Doe gives long-overdue recognition to Brunel's first steamship... bringing to life some of the key personalities who made the ambitious project a reality.'--Nautilus Telegraph

About this edition

• Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1445667207
• ISBN 13: 9781445667201
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304