The Golden Age of Ocean Liners
New York: Smithmark, 1996. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Format is approximately 9 inches by 12.5 inches. 80 pages. Illustrations (some in color). DJ is in a plastic sleeve and is illustrated front and back. Contents include: Introduction, The Floating Palaces, Life Aboard Ship, Myth, Media & Popular Culture, and an Index. The remarkable story of the international competition to build the world's fastest, largest, and most luxurious ships. Full color and archival photographs capture the glamour of this extraordinary era. Lee Server (May 27, 1953 – December 28, 2021) was an American writer. He was a graduate of New York University Film School. Server wrote several books about Hollywood cinema and pulp fiction. His book on Ava Gardner, Love is Nothing (2006) was described as an "excellent biography" by Peter Bogdanovich. On March 20, 2019, Server joined George Noory on the Coast to Coast radio program to discuss his most recent book, Handsome Johnny: The Life and Death of Johnny Rosselli: Gentleman Gangster, Hollywood Producer, CIA Assassin. An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Though ocean liners share certain similarities with cruise ships, they must be able to travel between continents from point A to point B on a fixed schedule, so must be faster and built to withstand the rough seas and averse conditions encountered on long voyages across the open ocean. To protect against large waves they usually have a higher hull and promenade deck with higher positioning of lifeboats (the height above water called the freeboard), as well as a longer bow than a cruse ship. Additionally, for additional strength they are often designed with thicker hull plating than is found on cruise ships, as well as a deeper draft for greater stability, and have large capacities for fuel, food and other consumables on long voyages. On an ocean liner, the captain's tower (bridge) is usually positioned on the upper deck for increased visibility. The first ocean liners were built in the mid-19th century. Technological innovations such as the steam engine and steel hull allowed larger and faster liners to be built, giving rise to a competition between world powers of the time, especially between the United Kingdom, the German Empire, and to a lesser extent France. Once the dominant form of travel between continents, ocean liners were rendered largely obsolete by the emergence of long-distance aircraft after World War II. Advances in automobile and railway technology also played a role. After Queen Elizabeth 2 was retired in 2008, the only ship still in service as an ocean liner is RMS Queen Mary 2. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Ships, Ocean Liners, Transportation, Luxury, Art Deco, Cunard, Queen Mary, Speed Records, Normandie, Titanic, Passengers, Steerage, Transatlantic, White Star Line, Movie Sets, Public Relations, Media, French Line, Lusitania, Interior Design, Decor
ISBN: 0765197766
[Book #85674]
Price: $65.00