Transatlantic and the Great Atlantic Steamships
Hardback Front Cover and Spine, Transatlantic: Samuel Cunard, Isambard Brunel, and the Great Atlantic Steamships by Stephen Fox, 2003. Cover design by Todd Robertson. Cover photograph by Marine Art Posters UK. Published by HarperCollins. GGA Image ID # 20404ba60f
Synopsis
A stirring narrative of the rapid development of the great transatlantic steamships, from paddle-wheelers to the sleek luxury greyhounds of the modern era -- and the men who designed and ran them.
From the Inside DJ Flap
During the nineteenth century, the world's roughest but most important ocean passage lay between Britain and the United States. Bridging the Atlantic Ocean by steamship was a defining, remarkable feat of the era.
Over time, Atlantic steamships became the largest, most complex machines yet devised. They created a new transatlantic world of commerce and travel, reconciling former Anglo-American enemies and bringing millions of emigrants to transform the United States.
In Transatlantic, the experience of crossing the Atlantic is re-created in stunning detail from the varied perspectives of first class, steerage, officers, and crew. The dynamic evolution of the Atlantic steamer is traced from Brunel's Great Western of 1838 to Cunard's Mauretania of 1907, the greatest steamship ever built.
The story is rife with disasters set against the classic tension of modern technology contending with a formidable natural environment. The key element is steam power: the universal, magical, transforming microchip of the nineteenth century.
Contents
Prologue: The North Atlantic Ocean and the Britannia
Part One: The Packet Ship Era, 1820-1840
- 1. The Sailing Packets
- 2. Steam on Water
Part Two: The Era of Cunard Domination, 1840-1870
- 3. Ships as Enterprise: Samuel Cunard of Halifax
- 4. Ships as Engineering: Isambard Kingdom Brunei
- 5. The Cunard Line
- 6. The Collins Line
- 7. Distinguished Failures
- 8. Emigration and the Inman Line
- 9. Life on a Steamer
Part Three: The Era of Steamship Competition, 1870-1910
- 10. The White Star Line
- 11. Competition and Invention
- 12. Ships as Buildings: Two Cycles to Cunard
- 13. Ships as Towns: Officers, Crew, Steerage
- 14. Anglo-Americans
- 15. Germans
- 16. The Two Finest Cunarders
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index
Transatlantic Includes two 16 pages of Black and White Photo Sections between pages 238 and 239 and another between pages 386 and 387.
Hardback Back Cover, Transatlantic: Samuel Cunard, Isambard Brunel, and the Great Atlantic Steamships by Stephen Fox, 2003. GGA Image ID # 2040f611ae
From the Hardcover Back Cover
Advance Praise for Transatlantic
"Stephen Fox's Transatlantic combines the best of many worlds: a meticulous and judicious history of the transatlantic steamships and the men who conceived and built them; writing that is both precise and vivid; an intelligent and vigorous narration that explains a great deal yet is never less than fascinating. Fox creates a complete and riveting account of ships and men, but he is equally adept at evoking the social and historical context within which these greatest artifacts of the Industrial Revolution had their day. Transatlantic will claim its rightful place among the best books about ships and the sea." —Derek Lundy, author of The Way of the Ship.
"With Transatlantic, Stephen Fox tells one of the great epics of the Steam Age with authority and panache. He brings to vivid life both the extraordinary men and the extraordinary ships they built and commanded. Transatlantic is history writing at its best." —John Steele Gordon, author of A Thread Across the Ocean: The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable.
"Intriguing, well-researched, and brimming with new information, Transatlantic will captivate readers interested in the rich and varied history of steamship travel in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Stephen Fox pits the hard-driving yet practical Samuel Cunard against his rival, Isambard Brunei. He sets the competition between these titans of the steamship against a tapestry of other important personalities. It's all here, from the sailing packets and the growing popularity of the ocean liner, the importance of steamships to immigration, and ultimately, the tale of gripping ocean races between greyhounds of the sea. A must-read for the steamship buff, and an informative book for the general reader." —David W. Shaw, author of America's Victory.
Paperback Front Cover, Transatlantic: Samuel Cunard, Isambard Brunel, and the Great Atlantic Steamships by Stephen Fox, 2003. Cover design by Todd Robertson. Cover photograph by Marine Art Posters UK. Published by Perennial/HarperCollins. GGA Image ID # 2041005bf6
Paperback Back Cover, Transatlantic: Samuel Cunard, Isambard Brunel, and the Great Atlantic Steamships by Stephen Fox, 2003. GGA Image ID # 20419cad64
From the Paperback Back Cover
During the nineteenth century, the roughest but most important ocean passage in the world lay between Britain and the United States. Bridging the Atlantic Ocean by steamship was a defining, remarkable feat of the era. Over time, Atlantic steamships became the largest, most complex machines yet devised. They created a new transatlantic world of commerce and travel, reconciling former Anglo-American enemies and bringing millions of emigrants who transformed the United States.
In Transatlantic, the experience of crossing the Atlantic is re-created in stunning detail from the varied perspectives of first class, steerage, officers, and crew. The dynamic evolution of the Atlantic steamer is traced from Brunei's Great Western of 1838 to Cunard's Mauretania of 1907, the greatest steamship ever built.
Brief Reviews
- “A full-bodied, meticulous chronicle. ... A comprehensive, fair-minded story.” —Times Literary Supplement
- “Transatlantic, Stephen Fox’s lively social history, reminds you that engineering was once the stuff of romance.” —New York Times
- “Written with flair and care. . . . [Fox] has concentrated on explaining with zest and high distinction a great episode in social and technological history.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
About the Author
Stephen Fox, an independent historian who did his Ph.D. at Brown University, is the author of six previous books, including Transatlantic, a History of the Steamship. He lives near Boston, Massachusetts.
Reviews and Excerpts
Ships Included in the Book Transatlantic
▓▓▓ "A" ▓▓▓
- Aaron Manby (first iron steamboat)
- Abyssinia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Acadia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Adriatic (Collins Line steamship)
- Adriatic (White Star Line steamship)
- Africa (Cunard Line steamship)
- Alaska (Guión Line steamship)
- Albion (packet)
- Algeria (Cunard Line steamship)
- Aller (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- Alps (Cunard Line steamship)
- America (Cunard Line steamship)
- Amity (packet)
- Andes (Cunard Line steamship)
- Anglo-Saxon (Allan steamship)
- Arabia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Archimedes (steamship with screw propeller)
- Arctic (Collins Line steamship)
- Arctic (White Star steamship, later Celtic)
- Arizona (Guión Line steamship)
- Asia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Atlantic (Collins Line steamship)
- Atlantic (White Star Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "B" ▓▓▓
- Borussia (Hamburg-American Line steamship)
- Bothnia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Bremen (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- Brighton (turbine steamship)
- Britannia (Anchor Line steamship)
- Britannia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Britannic (White Star Line steamship)
- British Queen (first Smith steamship)
▓▓▓ "C" ▓▓▓
- Caledonia (Anchor Line steamship)
- Caledonia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Cambria (Anchor Line steamship)
- Cambria (Cunard Line steamship)
- Campania (Cunard Line steamship)
- Canada (Cunard Line steamship)
- Canada (packet)
- Canton (emigrant ship)
- Carpathia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Carrick (emigrant ship)
- Celtic (White Star Line steamship)
- Charlotte Dundas (early steamboat)
- Charles H Morse (schooner)
- China (Cunard steamship, first Atlantic screw)
- City of Baltimore (Inman steamship)
- City of Berlin (Inman steamship)
- City of Boston (Inman steamship)
- City of Brussels (Inman steamship)
- City of Chester (Inman steamship)
- City of Glasgow (Tod's breakthrough steamship)
- City of Montreal (Inman steamship)
- City of New York (Inman steamship)
- City of New York (second, for reorganized Inman)
- City of Paris (Inman steamship)
- City of Paris (second, for reorganized Inman)
- City of Philadelphia (Inman steamship)
- City of Richmond (Inman steamship)
- Clermont (Fulton's steamboat)
- Clyde (Napier's first steamship)
- Columbia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Comet (first European passenger steamship)
- Courier (packet)
- Crathie (Scottish steamship)
- Crisis (packet)
- Cuba (Cunard Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "D" ▓▓▓
- Dakota (Guión Line steamship)
- Deutschland (Hamburg-American Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "E" ▓▓▓
- Eclipse (steamship)
- Elbe (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- Egypt (National steamship)
- Elizabeth (early Scottish steamboat)
- Emerald (packet)
- Empire City (Brown-built steamship)
- Etruria (Cunard Line steamship)
- Europa (Cunard Line steamship)
- Europe (packet)
- Exmouth (emigrant ship)
▓▓▓ "F" ▓▓▓
- Fire Queen (Napier vessels for Thomas Smith)
- Francis Depau (packet)
- Franklin (American Line steamship)
- Fürst Bismarck (Hamburg-American Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "G" ▓▓▓
- Gallia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Garrick (packet)
- Garry Owen (iron steamship)
- Germanic (White Star Line steamship)
- Glasgow (early oceangoing steamboat, later Thames)
- Great Britain (Brunei's steamship)
- Great Eastern (Brunei's steamship)
- Great Western (Bruneis first steamship)
- Grecian (Harland-designed steamship)
- Greece (National steamship)
▓▓▓ "H" ▓▓▓
- Hammonia (Hamburg-American Line steamship)
- Havel (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- Hermann (Mills steamship)
- Hibernia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Hohenzollern (royal steam yacht)
- Holland (National steamship)
- Hudson (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
▓▓▓ "I" ▓▓▓
- India (Anchor Line steamship)
- Indiana (American Steamship Company steamship)
- Iona (Thomson screw steamship)
- Italian (Harland-designed steamship)
- Ivernia (Cunard Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "J" ▓▓▓
- Jura (Cunard Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "K" ▓▓▓
- Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- King Edward (first turbine passenger vessel)
- Konprinz Wilhelm (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
▓▓▓ "L" ▓▓▓
- Lahn (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- Leven (early steamship)
- Lord Dundas (early iron steamboat)
- Louisiana (National steamship, later Holland)
- Lucania (Cunard Line steamship)
- Lusitania (Cunard Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "M" ▓▓▓
- Majestic (early ocean steamship)
- Majestic (White Star Line steamship)
- Manhattan (Guión Line steamship)
- Maria (emigrant ship)
- Mauretania (Cunard Line steamship)
- Montana (Guión Line steamship)
- Montreal (packet)
▓▓▓ "N" ▓▓▓
- Nederland (Red Star Line steamship)
- New York (American Line steamship, formerly City of New York)
- New York (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- New York (packet)
- Niagara (Cunard Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "O" ▓▓▓
- Oceanic (White Star Line steamship)
- Ocean Monarch (emigrant ship)
- Ohio (American Steamship Company steamship)
- Oregon (Cunard Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "P" ▓▓▓
- Pacific (Collins Line steamship)
- Pacific (packet)
- Pacific (White Star Line steamship, later Republic)
- Paris (American Line steamship, formerly City of Paris)
- Parthia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Pavonia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Pennyslvania (American Steamship Company steamship)
- Persia (Cunard's first iron steamship)
- Persian (Harland-designed steamship)
- President (packet)
- President (Smith steamship)
- Preussen (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- Princess Royal (Tod and MacGregor steamship)
▓▓▓ "Q" ▓▓▓
- Queen (turbine steamship)
▓▓▓ "R" ▓▓▓
- Rainbow (iron steamship)
- Red Jacket (clipper ship)
- Red Star Line (International Navigation Company)
- Republic (White Star Line steamship)
- Rheinland (Red Star Line steamship)
- Rob Roy (first oceangoing steamship)
- Roscius (packet)
- Royal George (Tod and MacGregor steamship)
- Royal Sovereign (Tod and MacGregor steamship)
- Royal William (Cunard's first steamship)
- Russia (Cunard Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "S" ▓▓▓
- St. Louis (American Line steamship)
- St. Paul (American Line steamship)
- Savannah (early steamship)
- Saxonia (Hamburg-American Line steamship)
- Scotia (Cunard's last paddle steamship)
- Scythia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Servia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Shakespeare (packet)
- Sheridan (packet)
- Siberia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Sirius (channel steamship)
- Southerner (first American commercial saltwater steamship)
- Spain (National steamship)
- Spree (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- Sturmflut (Spielhagen)
- Superb (early steamship)
- Switzerland (Red Star Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "T" ▓▓▓
- Tartar (British Admiralty steamship)
- Teutonic (White Star Line steamship)
- Tiber (steamship)
- Titanic (White Star Line steamship)
- Turbinia (first turbine-powered vessel)
▓▓▓ "U" ▓▓▓
- Ultronia (Cunard Line steamship)
- Umbria (Cunard Line steamship)
- United Kingdom (British steamboat)
- United Kingdom (early steamship of 1826)
- United States (packet)
- Utopia (Anchor Line steamship)
▓▓▓ "V" ▓▓▓
- Vaderland (Red Star Line steamship)
- Vesta (French steamship)
- Vesta (Tod screw steam yacht)
- Virginia (National steamship)
- Virginias (steamship)
▓▓▓ "W" ▓▓▓
- Washington (Mills steamship)
- Washington (sailing ship)
- Weser (Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship)
- Westernland (ship)
▓▓▓ "Y" ▓▓▓
- York (packet)
Steamship Lines Addressed in the Book Transatlantic
- Allan Line
- American Line (formerly Inman and International Steamship Company)
- American Steamship Company (ASC)
- Anchor Line
- Atlantic Steam Navigation Company
- Atlantic Transport Line
- Black X Line
- Bremen-America Packet Line
- British and American Steam Navigation Company
- British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
- Carr steamship line
- Collins Line
- Cunard Line
- Glasgow and Liverpool Royal Steam Company
- Guión Line
- Halifax and Quebec Steam Boat Company
- Hamburg-American Line
- Hudson River steamboat service
- Inman and International Steamship Company (later American Line)
- Inman Line (later Inman and International Steamship Company)
- International Mercantile Marine (IMM)
- International Navigation Company (later Inman and International Steamship Company)
- Leyland Company
- Lloyd Line
- National Line
- North German Lloyd Line
- Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, Limited
- Old Black Star Line
- Peninsular and Oriental Line
- Tod & MacGregor
- White Star Line
Library of Congres Catalog Listing
- Personal name: Fox, Stephen R.
- Main title: Transatlantic: Samuel Cunard, Isambard Brunel, and the great Atlantic steamships / Stephen Fox.
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Published/Created: New York, NY: HarperCollins, c2003.
- Description: xviii, 493 p., [32] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm.
- ISBN: 0060195959 (acid-free paper)
- LC classification: HE945.A2 F68 2003
- LC Subjects: Steamboat lines--North Atlantic Ocean--History. Ocean liners--North Atlantic Ocean--History. North Atlantic Ocean.
- Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
- LCCN: 2002191928
- Dewey class no.: 387.5/09163/109034
- Geographic area code: ln-----
- Type of material: Book
