The First Great Ocean Liners In Photographs

193 black and white photographs covering the years from 1897-1927.

200 superb photographs capture exquisite interiors of world’s great "floating palaces" — 1890s to 1980s: Titanic, Ile de France, Queen Elizabeth, United States, Europa, more.

186 photos of Ile de France, Normandie, Leviathan, Queen Elizabeth, United States, many others. Interior and exterior views.

Ocean liners once sailed all the world's seas and played important roles in times of peace and war. Ships transported the rich and famous as well as millions of immigrants to new countries. Over time, airplanes changed the nature of travel and the role of the ocean liners. Today's cruise ships are dramatically different from the liners of old, bigger than ever, they are like small cities on the water.

Before the advent of commercial transatlantic flights in the early 1950s, the only way to travel between continents was by sea. In the golden age of ocean liners, between the late nineteenth century and the Second World War, shipping companies ensured their vessels were a home away from home, providing entertainment, dining, sleeping quarters and smoking lounges to accommodate passengers of all ages and budgets, for voyages that could last as long as three months.Secrets of the Great Ocean Liners leads the reader through each of the stages - and secrets - of ocean liner travel, from booking a ticket and choosing a cabin to shore excursions, dining, on-board games, social events, romances, and disembarking on arrival. Additional chapters disclose wartime voyages and disasters at sea. The shipping companies produced glamorous brochures, sailing schedules, voyage logs, passenger lists, postcards and menus, all of which help us to savour the challenges, etiquette and luxury of ocean liner travel. Diaries, letters and journals written on board also reveal a host of behind-the-scenes secrets and fascinating insights into the experience of travelling by sea. This book dives into a vast, unique collection to reveal the scandals, glamour, challenges and tragedies of ocean liner travel.

A pictorial history of travel and social life on the great ocean liners, from the beginning of the 19th century up to the 1950s. The book covers the romance and glamour of ocean travel, especially when travelling on luxury passenger ships like the Queen Mary and the Normandie. Archival photographs reveal the flavour of travelling onboard ship and emphasize the contrast between the luxury of first-class travel and the discomfort of the steerage class. The author has also published The Great Days of Yachting, Fastnet and Shipwreck.

Text and photographs describe the great passenger liners that traveled between the United States and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century.