Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea

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Summary: The best work of Non-Fiction I read in 1998
Review: If you're looking for a 'Good Read,' forget this book. Because this is a 'GREAT read.' Nothing less. Gary Kinder weaves a masterful tale, moving back and forth from the 1857 wreck of a steamer carrying three tons of gold to the present day retrieval of the bullion. A gripping tale -- and this reviewer is NOT a misty-eyed, sea-loving adventurer. More like a land-lubber who likes to sit and sip coffee in a neighborhood cafe, reading well written works of non-fiction. Of which this is one. I bought several copies of this book to give as gifts after reading the book. I'm sure somone will make a made-for-TV drama of this epic, or a full length film, but don't wait for the release -- read the book now. How good is this book? I attempted (but failed) to find author Gary Kinder online to personally tell him what a wonderfully written saga this is. Assuming you might read this on the amazon pages, Gary, congratulations on a (10-year!!) job well done!!

Rating:
Summary: Highly Interesting
Review: Mr. Kinder did an outstanding job with this book which at times was almost like reading fiction. At times I felt as if I was right there with Mr. Thompson in his quest. Maybe because this is a subject that has interested me since childhood. Mr. Kinder also did a great service to the reader by including the background of the Central America by including the excerpts from diaries and statements made to newspapers by the survivors. I wish Mr. Kinder could have included a section of the photographs that were taken. In particular I would have liked to see the photos of the piles of gold and of the wreck in general. If you are interested in sunken ships or treasure, this is the book for you. Just keep in mind that it is a true story and not fiction.

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT book!
Review: I purchased this book because of a review I had read in "Discover" magazine. It would be very difficult for me to find ANYTHING wrong with this book. It gives the reader everything; a mystery, a quest for sunken treasure, villians, and a hero. A GREAT book and I haven't even finished it yet!

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Summary: something for everyone
Review: Ship of Gold is a phenomenal work charting the life of a brilliant, adventurous, and creative man (Thompson) who is driven to find the single most "expensive" disaster at sea, and to develop the technology to do it 8,000 feet below. This is not just a great deep sea recovery story, but a "crash" course in oceanography, U.S. History, maritime law, archaeology, as well as marketing, investment, and the entrepreneurial spirit. Engineering concepts are liberally applied, along with a dash of computer science. As a computer science major, I found myself imagining how they might have written the software to predict the location of the ship below. These are the kinds of challenges that make my field exciting! Reading about the early years of Thompson's life was a bit tiresome, but by the middle of the book it made sense as to why those parts were included. An overall good, suspensful, and interesting story. There's something in this book for everyone.

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Summary: Scientifically and historically accurate, easy read
Review: Great read, suspensful and informative. Non-fiction that reads like a novel. Gary Kinder has captured both the personality of the explorer/inventor and the feel of both the loss and discovery of a major shipping disaster. I wish all history was written and researched this way.

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Summary: Great-Great Grandma made it out alive! So, I'm here today.
Review: Mary Swan (age 18), along with her first child Samantha (16mo.)were rescued. Her husband Sam wasn't. Every 5 years my family has a reunion and this story is told. She had crossed the plains in 1854 and met up with Sam. They had ten thousand dollars in a gold mined from Rough and Ready California. Sam strapped some of the gold on her in a gold belt as she left the ship. She fell into the sea 3 times getting into the lifeboat. In New York she and Samantha stayed at the Waldorf Astoria for one night. She was interviewed by several news papers. The next morning she slipped out the back door and made her way to her Sam's relatives in Pennsylvania. She remarried a man named Cook and went back to Willits California. She had 7 more children. No one from Columbus America Discovery Group knew the rest of this story. They lost track of her in New York. It has been a wonderful tale to bring back to our family and share with Columbus America Discovery Group. As I read the sections of the book that recount the 4 days of bailing I noted that it took place on the same 4 September dates that I was currently living in. I read only the accounts that fit each day then thought about what she must have been thinking. Mary lived well into her 80's. I have no idea what happened to the rest of the family gold but I am much richer through the reading of this book. I'm sure interested to see what they bring up from the luggage compartment.

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Summary: Great real-life tale hampered by sometimes-plodding writing.
Review: All-in-all, a book worth reading. Slow start, sometimes plodding writing, but a great tale overall. Could even make a great movie, with great special effects.

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Summary: I am a librarian and this is the best book I have read all y
Review: It was tehnical but a layman can understand it. It was suspenseful the author was a real hero. TH reader felt that he/she was right there alongside the treasure hunter!

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Summary: Latter day Thomas Edison forms syndicate, finds treasure.
Review: How did a syndicate based in Columbus, OH, succeed in recovering tons of gold from an 1857 shipwreck 200 miles off Cape Hatteras and two miles deep? That was my inititial curiosity. I wasn't prepared for the intriguing protagonist, who reminded me of Richard Feynman, or the story of the shipwreck and the survivors and the captain-hero, or the brilliant and comprehensive preparation for success and failure. For the first time in a decade I had a book too hot to put down. This story is on the far side of the solar system from the usual treasure hunt book. I found it extremely satisfying on many levels.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent value! You get three books in one!
Review: Book 1: an absolutely riveting historical account of the California Gold Rush and subsequent drama of the final journey of the SS Central America. I've never been interested in any of this stuff before; this book made me stay up late with heart pounding. Book 2: The fascinating early career of Tommy Thompson and his unique ways of raising capital for an extremely risky business venture. This was a real story! Entrepreneurial bravery! Nothing like this in business school texts. Book 3: The adventure at sea with Tommy and the crew, circa 1980s. Complete with pirates, old drunkards, and finding the ultimate treasure. I kept staring at the photo on the back cover of the jacket- the one with the gold bars, coins, and mysterious white starfish and unknown sea creatures- and I felt a real respect for that deep, deep ocean. What an amazing accomplishment these guys made, and kudos to Gary Kinder for letting us all in on it.