Best Ship History

But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love. Finalist for the Washington State Book Award — History/General Non-fictionA Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2015A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Book of 2015A Miami Herald Favorite Book of 2015BookTrib's Best Narrative Nonfiction Book of 2015#1 History & Biography Book in the 2015 Goodreads Choice AwardsA LibraryReads Top Ten Book of 2015 A Library Journal Top Ten Book of 2015A Kirkus Best Book of 2015 An Indigo Best Book of 2015 "Larson is one of the modern masters of popular narrative nonfiction...a resourceful reporter and a subtle stylist who understands the tricky art of Edward Scissorhands-ing narrative strands into a pleasing story...An entertaining book about a great subject, and it will do much to make this seismic event resonate for new generations of readers." — The New York Times Book Review "Larson is an old hand at treating nonfiction like high drama...He knows how to pick details that have maximum soapy potential and then churn them down until they foam [and] has an eye for haunting, unexploited detail." "This enthralling and richly detailed account demonstrates that there was far more going on beneath the surface than is generally known...Larson's account [of the Lusitania 's sinking] is the most lucid and suspenseful yet written, and he finds genuine emotional power in the unlucky confluences of forces, 'large and achingly small,' that set the stage for the ship's agonizing final moments." "Larson has a gift for transforming historical re-creations into popular recreations, and Dead Wake is no exception...[He] provides first-rate suspense, a remarkable achievement given that we already know how this is going to turn out...The tension, in the reader's easy chair, is unbearable..." — The Boston Globe. Larson is an exceptionally skilled storyteller, and his tick-tock narrative, which cuts between the Lusitania , U-20 and the political powers behind them, is pitch-perfect." "Larson so brilliantly elucidates [the Lusitania 's fate] in Dead Wake , his detailed forensic and utterly engrossing account of the Lusitania 's last voyage...Yes, we know how the story of the Lusitania ends, but there's still plenty of white-knuckle tension. "Larson's nimble, exquisitely researched tale puts you dead center...Larson deftly pulls off the near-magical feat of taking a foregone conclusion and conjuring a tale that's suspenseful, moving and altogether riveting." "With each revelation from Britain and America, with each tense, claustrophobic scene aboard U-20, the German sub that torpedoed the ship, with each vignette from the Lusitania , Larson's well-paced narrative ratchets the suspense. His eye for the ironic detail keen, his sense of this time period perceptive, Larson spins a sweeping tale that gives the Lusitania its due attention. "[Larson] has a gift for finding the small, personal details that bring history to life...His depiction of the sinking of the ship, and the horrific 18 minutes between the time it was hit and the time it disappeared, is masterly, moving between strange, touching details." Not so with Erik Larson...Larson wrestles these disparate narratives into a unified, coherent story and so creates a riveting account of the Lusitania 's ending and the beginnings of the U.S.'s involvement in the war." —Pittsburgh Post Gazette "In your mind, the sinking of the luxury liner Lusitania may be filed in a cubbyhole...After reading Erik Larson's impressive reconstruction of the Lusitania 's demise, you're going to need a much bigger cubbyhole...Larson's book is a work of carefully sourced nonfiction, not a novelization, but it has a narrative sweep and miniseries pacing that make it highly entertaining as well as informative." "Larson breathes life into narrative history like few writers working today." "Now the tragic footnote to a global conflagration, the history of the [ Lusitania 's] final voyage... is worthy of the pathos and narrative artistry Erik Larson brings to Dead Wake ...Reader's of Larson's previous nonfiction page turners...will not be disappointed. "The story of the Lusitania 's sinking by a German U-boat has been told before, but Larson's version features new details and the gripping immediacy he's famous for. The fact that this is coming through a page-turner history book, where all the figures and details reveal an impeccable eye and thorough research, is just one of the odd pleasures of Larson's writing." He draws upon a wealth of sources for his subject – telegrams, wireless messages, survivor depositions, secret intelligence ledgers, a submarine captain’s war log, love letters, admiralty and university archives, even morgue photos of Lusitania victims… Filled with revealing political, military and social information, Larson’s engrossing Dead Wake is, at its heart, a benediction for the 1,198 souls lost at sea.” — Tampa Bay Times. "Larson, an authority on nonfiction accounts, expounds on our primary education, putting faces to the disaster and crafting an intimate portrait in Dead Wake . "In a well-paced narrative, Larson reveals the forces large and small, natural and man-made, coincidental and intentional, that propelled the Lusitania to its fatal rendezvous...Larson's description of the moments and hours that followed the torpedo's explosive impact is riveting... Dead Wake stands on its own as a gripping recounting of an episode that still has the power to haunt a reader 100 years later." — Booklist , starred review "[Larson] has always shown a brilliant ability to unearth the telling details of a story and has the narrative chops to bring a historical moment vividly alive. But in his new book, Larson simply outdoes himself...What is most compelling about Dead Wake is that, through astonishing research, Larson gives us a strong sense of the individuals—passengers and crew—aboard the Lusitania , heightening our sense of anxiety as we realize that some of the people we have come to know will go down with the ship. "Critically acclaimed 'master of narrative nonfiction' Erik Larson has produced a thrilling account of the principals and the times surrounding this tumultuous event in world history...After an intimate look at the passengers, and soon-to-be victims, who board in New York despite the warning of 'unrestricted warfare' from the German embassy, Larson turns up the pace with shorter and shorter chapters alternating between the hunted and the hunter until the actual shot.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In DEAD WAKE: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Larson returns to the subjects of war and ships and stirs in a potent mixture of international politics as well as a little romance to once again seduce his readers with a contemporary view of an historical situation. Written to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania, a Cunard passenger liner sunk by a German U-Boat, Larson's account differs in several ways from other well-known books produced on the subject. The pluses of Larson's latest work are his acute examination of Room 40, his up-close look at Woodrow Wilson, and his ability to swing between the behind-the-scenes action and balance his discoveries with a conventional but absorbing look at some of the passengers on board the Lusitania all while building a true and terrifying suspense in the narrative. Whether one reads a great deal about WWI history, maritime disasters, or early 1900s international politics, there is something new to be learned in DEAD WAKE."
"This book gradually brings the whole events out from all the small perspectives of people who got involved or lost their lives in it. The author’s big motivation for writing this book is to let people experience the whole events from the basic stories. The author of this book drew the world of readers back to the last century, the happiness, desires, hopelessness from people are all seems close enough to touch. Even though the book itself focused mostly on the Boat and the submarine U-20 which sunk it, the characterization of other passengers on Lusitania is attractive and interesting. The movement of different organization and famous people such as American president Wilson were all caught by Erik Larson. Rather than just talking about the big historical event itself, Erik Larson fills in more small details and personal life parts into the skeleton of the book, to make it more vivid. Also, for one who is learning the First World War, this book gave me more new knowledge and brought me a historical event that I did not even hear before. The meeting of U-20 submarine and lusitania was not predicted by room 40, an organization which mainly focused the interception of telegrams from German in that period this time. Some ships “have warm, friendly atmosphere while others are only steel plates riveted around throbbing turbines.”’ There were some children and infants on the boat and only one tenth of them finally survived. The intention of For example, ‘Lauriat took the scrapbooks back to his home in Cambridge, where he inspected them in the company of his wife, Marian. At the station later that night, he checked his trunk and shoe box for transport direct to the lusitania but held back his other three pieces. He kept these with him in the calendar.’ the characteristics of one of the passengers on the boat, Lauriat, a bookseller who usually went to Britain for transporting books, is fully shown for the readers. ‘U-boats in fact traveled underwater as little as possible, typically only in extreme weather or when attacking ships or dodging destroyers.’ The professional explanation like this line appeared commonly in the book. In short, the book is fascinating and interesting, feeling the past historical events from it is the attraction no readers can reject."
"I didn't expect to be so emotionally moved by this book, but I had a visceral, emotional reaction to the chapters that described the human drama of the poor souls trying to survive the sinking of the Lusitania, especially when mothers and their children where involved."
"I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, naval battles, presidential decisions, and the life and times of the early 1900's."

New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides returns with a white-knuckle tale of polar exploration and survival in the Gilded Age In the late nineteenth century, people were obsessed by one of the last unmapped areas of the globe: the North Pole. James Gordon Bennett, the eccentric and stupendously wealthy owner of The New York Herald , had recently captured the world's attention by dispatching Stanley to Africa to find Dr. Livingstone. So he funded an official U.S. naval expedition to reach the Pole, choosing as its captain a young officer named George Washington De Long, who had gained fame for a rescue operation off the coast of Greenland. Author Hampton Sides does a masterful job of setting up the voyage against the backdrop of the Gilded Age, developing fascinating characters along the way, and delivering a true triumph of narrative nonfiction. Full of unforgettable characters and vividly described scenes, In the Kingdom of Ice breathes fresh, exuberant, and very personal life into the polar adventure story that once riveted the world.”. - Nathaniel Philbrick, New York Times bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea, Bunker Hill and Sea of Glory. As soon as I finished it, I flipped to the first page and began reading it again.”. - Candice Millard, New York Times bestselling author of The Destiny of the Republic and The River of Doubt “Hampton Sides masterfully recounts one of the greatest and most harrowing adventures of all time. In the Kingdom of Ice is a spellbinding tale not only of a journey into the Arctic but also into the very nature of man.”. - David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of Z. The grand disaster that befell this expedition, and the heroic, truly Siberian sufferings of Captain De Long and his comrades, have found a brilliant chronicler in Hampton Sides.”. - Ian Frazier, National Bestselling author of Travels in Siberia and On the Rez "With colorful characters and rich research distilled into gripping suspense, In the Kingdom of Ice gives us a fascinating but little-known slice of American history that resonates strongly amid our contemporary discussions of climate change. - Scott Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of Lawrence in Arabia " Hampton Sides has written an arctic thriller, an authentic narrative masterpiece that I put down only reluctantly and willingly gave up sleep in order to finish. - Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author of Frozen in Time and Lost in Shangri-La. “Another crackling tale of adventure from journalist/explorer Sides...this one focusing on a frigid disaster nearly 150 years ago… A grand and grim narrative of thrilling exploration for fans of Into Thin Air , Mountains of the Moon and the like.”. - Kirkus (Starred Review) "With its western frontiers explored and the idea of Manifest Destiny still beckoning, the U.S. in the Gilded Age looked to the North Pole for adventure and conquest...
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The letters written by Lt. DeLong's wife during the time he and the ship and crew were out of contact are hear-warming and -rending and provide an excellent counter-point and commentary on the main narrative, and the author's access to the surviving journals and letters of the other crew members allow him to paint full-bodied portraits of the men on the ice. You come very quickly to care about these men and their fates."
"For most of the book, it reminded me very much of "Endurance," the book about Shakleton's disastrous voyage to Antarctica in 1914 in his ship, Endurance: Similar preparations, dangers, disappointing end to sailing part of the voyage almost before it even began, ...and a strong leader, bound and determined to keep the men's morale up...and [spoiler alert] the way they were trapped in the ice for many months, then the ship sinking and them being forced to sledge boats across the ice, and then take to the open ocean in their boats."
"Although I bogged down a bit with all the history that was given for each man, once they set sail I was there with them and can only try to imagine what it was like."
"Some believed, even knowing there was much ice in the northern latitudes, that there was a body of warm water at the pole created by the rotation of the earth and warm currents flowing upward along the earth’s axis. He loved to create and report extraordinary events and, together with the U. S. Navy, backed the outfitting of a ship renamed the USS Jeanette in Le Havre, France and later at the Navy shipyard in Vallejo, California. Author Hampton Sides has done a huge amount of research to recreate this exciting tale along with great detail explaining how the expedition was planned, financed and outfitted."

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The riveting, tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes. , from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion : a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. While much has been written about the disaster, there is still much more to the story that remains untold, including an investigation of the key figures involved, the histories of the colliding ships, and the confluence of circumstances that brought these two vessels together to touch off one of the most tragic disasters of the twentieth century. The Halifax Explosion reveals the gripping untold story of Canada’s worst disaster, a haunting tale of survival, incredible courage, and, ultimately, the triumph of the human spirit.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I don't know much about Canadian history, but I had heard of the Halifax explosion, so this book intrigued me. There are lots of interesting details, and I really liked all of the photographs of the people and the aftermath. (Photos are not necessary, but I appreciate them in a non-fiction book as it helps bring the subject matter more to life.)."
"I found the first third of the book an interesting read about life during WW I, but when the book gets to a point where about a dozen things go wrong in succession, leading to the devastating blast, it’s mesmerizing."
"The blunders and treachery that lead to the explosion are surpassed only by the heroism and compassion of rescue and relief workers."
"A very readable book particularly when the stories of several local people are included in the listing of the events."
"I heard about this book last week on Al Kresta's radio show, as Al interviewed John U Bacon, and the book sounded so fascinating, I just had to read it."
"Deeply researched and told in a riveting fashion, this book vividly draws you through the moments of one of the biggest man made tragedies ever experienced."
"He suspensefully sets up the collision of two ships and explosion that followed against the backdrop of WWI and US - Canadian relations in 1917."
"Hard to believe that this is a disaster story way overlooked by most history buffs."
Best Military Naval History

But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love. Finalist for the Washington State Book Award — History/General Non-fictionA Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2015A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Book of 2015A Miami Herald Favorite Book of 2015BookTrib's Best Narrative Nonfiction Book of 2015#1 History & Biography Book in the 2015 Goodreads Choice AwardsA LibraryReads Top Ten Book of 2015 A Library Journal Top Ten Book of 2015A Kirkus Best Book of 2015 An Indigo Best Book of 2015 "Larson is one of the modern masters of popular narrative nonfiction...a resourceful reporter and a subtle stylist who understands the tricky art of Edward Scissorhands-ing narrative strands into a pleasing story...An entertaining book about a great subject, and it will do much to make this seismic event resonate for new generations of readers." — The New York Times Book Review "Larson is an old hand at treating nonfiction like high drama...He knows how to pick details that have maximum soapy potential and then churn them down until they foam [and] has an eye for haunting, unexploited detail." "This enthralling and richly detailed account demonstrates that there was far more going on beneath the surface than is generally known...Larson's account [of the Lusitania 's sinking] is the most lucid and suspenseful yet written, and he finds genuine emotional power in the unlucky confluences of forces, 'large and achingly small,' that set the stage for the ship's agonizing final moments." "Larson has a gift for transforming historical re-creations into popular recreations, and Dead Wake is no exception...[He] provides first-rate suspense, a remarkable achievement given that we already know how this is going to turn out...The tension, in the reader's easy chair, is unbearable..." — The Boston Globe. Larson is an exceptionally skilled storyteller, and his tick-tock narrative, which cuts between the Lusitania , U-20 and the political powers behind them, is pitch-perfect." "Larson so brilliantly elucidates [the Lusitania 's fate] in Dead Wake , his detailed forensic and utterly engrossing account of the Lusitania 's last voyage...Yes, we know how the story of the Lusitania ends, but there's still plenty of white-knuckle tension. "Larson's nimble, exquisitely researched tale puts you dead center...Larson deftly pulls off the near-magical feat of taking a foregone conclusion and conjuring a tale that's suspenseful, moving and altogether riveting." "With each revelation from Britain and America, with each tense, claustrophobic scene aboard U-20, the German sub that torpedoed the ship, with each vignette from the Lusitania , Larson's well-paced narrative ratchets the suspense. His eye for the ironic detail keen, his sense of this time period perceptive, Larson spins a sweeping tale that gives the Lusitania its due attention. "[Larson] has a gift for finding the small, personal details that bring history to life...His depiction of the sinking of the ship, and the horrific 18 minutes between the time it was hit and the time it disappeared, is masterly, moving between strange, touching details." Not so with Erik Larson...Larson wrestles these disparate narratives into a unified, coherent story and so creates a riveting account of the Lusitania 's ending and the beginnings of the U.S.'s involvement in the war." —Pittsburgh Post Gazette "In your mind, the sinking of the luxury liner Lusitania may be filed in a cubbyhole...After reading Erik Larson's impressive reconstruction of the Lusitania 's demise, you're going to need a much bigger cubbyhole...Larson's book is a work of carefully sourced nonfiction, not a novelization, but it has a narrative sweep and miniseries pacing that make it highly entertaining as well as informative." "Larson breathes life into narrative history like few writers working today." "Now the tragic footnote to a global conflagration, the history of the [ Lusitania 's] final voyage... is worthy of the pathos and narrative artistry Erik Larson brings to Dead Wake ...Reader's of Larson's previous nonfiction page turners...will not be disappointed. "The story of the Lusitania 's sinking by a German U-boat has been told before, but Larson's version features new details and the gripping immediacy he's famous for. The fact that this is coming through a page-turner history book, where all the figures and details reveal an impeccable eye and thorough research, is just one of the odd pleasures of Larson's writing." He draws upon a wealth of sources for his subject – telegrams, wireless messages, survivor depositions, secret intelligence ledgers, a submarine captain’s war log, love letters, admiralty and university archives, even morgue photos of Lusitania victims… Filled with revealing political, military and social information, Larson’s engrossing Dead Wake is, at its heart, a benediction for the 1,198 souls lost at sea.” — Tampa Bay Times. "Larson, an authority on nonfiction accounts, expounds on our primary education, putting faces to the disaster and crafting an intimate portrait in Dead Wake . "In a well-paced narrative, Larson reveals the forces large and small, natural and man-made, coincidental and intentional, that propelled the Lusitania to its fatal rendezvous...Larson's description of the moments and hours that followed the torpedo's explosive impact is riveting... Dead Wake stands on its own as a gripping recounting of an episode that still has the power to haunt a reader 100 years later." — Booklist , starred review "[Larson] has always shown a brilliant ability to unearth the telling details of a story and has the narrative chops to bring a historical moment vividly alive. But in his new book, Larson simply outdoes himself...What is most compelling about Dead Wake is that, through astonishing research, Larson gives us a strong sense of the individuals—passengers and crew—aboard the Lusitania , heightening our sense of anxiety as we realize that some of the people we have come to know will go down with the ship. "Critically acclaimed 'master of narrative nonfiction' Erik Larson has produced a thrilling account of the principals and the times surrounding this tumultuous event in world history...After an intimate look at the passengers, and soon-to-be victims, who board in New York despite the warning of 'unrestricted warfare' from the German embassy, Larson turns up the pace with shorter and shorter chapters alternating between the hunted and the hunter until the actual shot.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In DEAD WAKE: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Larson returns to the subjects of war and ships and stirs in a potent mixture of international politics as well as a little romance to once again seduce his readers with a contemporary view of an historical situation. Written to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania, a Cunard passenger liner sunk by a German U-Boat, Larson's account differs in several ways from other well-known books produced on the subject. The pluses of Larson's latest work are his acute examination of Room 40, his up-close look at Woodrow Wilson, and his ability to swing between the behind-the-scenes action and balance his discoveries with a conventional but absorbing look at some of the passengers on board the Lusitania all while building a true and terrifying suspense in the narrative. Whether one reads a great deal about WWI history, maritime disasters, or early 1900s international politics, there is something new to be learned in DEAD WAKE."
"I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, naval battles, presidential decisions, and the life and times of the early 1900's."
"He includes the latest research from dives onto the wreck that determined the cause of the second explosion, which was not available for the earlier and still compelling landmark work by C. Simpson, "The Lusitania". Knowing the track of that sub, they could have provided the promised escorts; or the Lusitania could have been safely rerouted around Ireland without compromising security."
Best Food, Lodging & Transportation

Dear Bob and Sue is the story of our (Matt and Karen Smith) journey to all 59 U.S. National Parks. Still, another quotes Karen as saying that men who use a laptop while it sits directly on their lap expose themselves to the risk of “cooking their testicles.” For the sake of full disclosure, Karen’s testicle comment offends Matt as well. We also talk about drinking beer and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Matt and Karen have been married for over 34 years and live in the Seattle, Washington area.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I loved this book!"
"St. Helens, the Columbia River Gorge, the Oregon Coast, Redwood National & State Parks, and Great Basin National Park. I laughed so hard, I had tears in my eyes as I would read aloud excerpts to my husband."
"I loved this account of Matt and Karen's national park adventures."
"I really enjoyed this book ..."
"You not only learn about visiting all our National Parks but meet Karen and Matt and laugh and agonize along with them as they travel."
"While hiking the national parks has never been a goal of mine (though I'd happily watch someone else do it on TV :-), I had a great time reading this book."
"The emphasis upon alcohol consumption and even getting drunk, was puzzling because it - and the childish behavior in hotels, restaurants, out in the parks - conflicted with the authors' claim that they are middle aged adults who have raised a family and are turning 50. I kept reading beyond the point of finding the book somewhat repetitive, and rather annoying in the way that the couple began racing to parks just long enough to get the park stamp, take a quick hike, then mark that park "done" because I wanted to read about their experiences in two of my favorite parks: Acadia National Park in Maine and Badlands in South Dakota. The project was a worthy one but it occurred to me that it was a race, not a journey, done just to turn out a book, or to travel and be able to deduct the cost on their taxes. (I'm thinking I might be wrong about that, but the book gives one that impression: that it's all about getting the passports stamped and to be able to say they did it.)."
"There are a lot of honest and funny descriptions of those kinds of irritations one has to endure when they spend so much time together. The idea that thousands of people are reading about how it seems to be ok to touch things and otherwise think the rules are there for other people is pretty much my last straw."
Best General Michigan Travel Guides

The information provided for each County includes: indexing for county roads, hydrology, and place names.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We bought it as a backup to the GPS for locating waterfalls in the U.P."
"Very detailed atlas."
"The brilliance of combining old cartography with current digital advances has certainly produced a new gold standard for evaluating all atlases from this point forward."
"This is a very good map and it tells how & when each county was started."
"Easy to read maps with a lot of detail."
"This is an amazing book of maps and a whole lot more."
"Half the page dedicated to each County is text."
Best Pictorial Ship Books

The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich houses the largest collection of scale ship models in the world, many of which are official, contemporary artefacts made by the craftsmen of the navy or the shipbuilders themselves, and ranging from the mid seventeenth century to the present day. The Naval Review Robert Gardiner is the author of three books on sailing cruisers, including Frigates of the Napoleonic Wars , published in 2000 and re-released in paperback in 2006.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"To understand the development of ships over the centuries you should compare models, and the author should assist you by pointing out the differences not so obvious to a beginner's eye."
"Perusing the photos in the book reveal how model ships should be built; attention to realism and details of sailing ships in the 17th and 18th centuries."
"Fantastic book."
"I'm a professional model maker, aerospace (unfortunately), but whose true love the past 45 years has always been man-o-war models. Frequently the books in my collection featured images of the beautiful Admiralty style models. None the less, being such as I am, those photos further wetted my appetite for yet more data which could be of use in building an Admiralty model. Should one be have an interest in Admiralty models or the desire to build one I highly recommend this book."
"It is one of most complete book I've ever seen for ship modelers."
"It arrived in good condition."
"Must have for students and model builders."
Best Ships Repair & Maintenance

Now updated with information on fuel injection systems, electronic engine controls, and other new diesel technologies, Nigel Calder's bestseller has everything you need to keep your diesel engine running cleanly and efficiently. Now updated with information on fuel injection systems, electronic engine controls, and other new diesel technologies, Nigel Calder's bestseller has everything you need to keep your diesel engine running cleanly and efficiently. Nigel Calder , a diesel mechanic, boatbuilder, and machinist, is widely acknowledged as the world’s foremost writer on boat systems maintenance.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've read through some of it and I would highly recommend if you want to learn about marine diesel engines."
"If you are a marine diesel owner, but not yet a marine diesel mechanic, this book is great to have on board."
"The book is covering basic engine parts, more in depth explanations of engine parts, fuel system, how to troubleshoot start problems, diagnosing different sounds and symptoms, maintenance and repair procedures (probably more than most of us will want to perform ourselves - like opening up cylinders and decarbonizing the engine)."
"But very informative for the novice to the knowledgeable."
"great buy, well written, easy to understand book."
"I have spent my life working on the water and with Diesel engines every day , this book in my opinion is very very good it is easy to read and understand it has saved me money and is well worth it I highly recommend this book."
"Great, detailed explanation of the principles, operation, and troubleshooting of marine Diesel engines."
Best Boat Building

Here are eleven new Instant Boats to choose from, including three built with a new "Tack and Tape" method that eliminates most of the beveling and results in a very shapely and spritely craft. Years ago, when Dynamite began supplementing his boatbuilding work by selling boat plans, he got feedback from a number of customers who found the boats too difficult to build. He outlined the problem to Philip Bolger, of Gloucester, Massachusetts, arguably the most innovative small-craft designer around, and Bolger agreed, on one condition, to design a series of boats that would require no lofting, no jig, and no lumber that could not be obtained at any local building-supplies store. You can then start right in cutting readily available plywood sheets to precomputed patterns. (You can build directly from the book, but the purchase of larger-scale plans at a modest cost from Dynamite will make the task of scaling off the patterns easier.).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Building a plywood boat is a bagatelle particularly using the stitch and glue method. The books are “Go Build Your Own Boat” and Build The New Instant Boat by Harold Payson, “Boats with an open Mind” by Philip Bolger, “Boat Building For Beginners” by Jim Michalak, “Ultra Simple Boat Building” by Gavin Atkin and “Understanding Boat Design” by Ted Brewer There are separate reviews for each of these books. “Build The New Instant Boats” by Harold Payson is a superior book compared to”Go Build Your Own Boat.” and I give it five stars. Again we are reading about how to build boats of Bolger's design. The boat plans are legible and one could actually build the boats from the book."
"I like the book, but I bought the kindle version and unfortunately you cant read any of the dimensions on any of the drawings so it makes it difficult to build any of these boats if you cant read the dimensions off the plans."
"The book contains full plans for 3 or 4 S&G boats as well as a similar number of complete plans for "conventional" Instant Boats."
"If you want to tinker with a wooden boat or build a powered fishing boat."
"Dynamite Payson's easy to follow instructions and Phil Bolger's (almost) idiot-proof plans will have you in a boat of your own construction sooner than you think."
"all of the photos and illustrations are overexposed [very pale, no contrast]."
"A great book on boats, even if you never cut a single sheet of plywood."
"The central subject of this book is the boat plans, and they are not readable in the Kindle version."