Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals: Longer Ships, The Winter Runs

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Summary: Fascinating Reading
Review: This is one of those anecdotal history books that makes such wonderful reading. Having grown up on the shores of Ontario, it still managed to provide me with local history that I'd never heard (and filled in some gaps on things I had-- such as the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck). There are moments where the prose gets a little strained (how many different ways are there to say "stormy water"?) but it doesn't really detract from the charm of the book. It'll be hard to get me on a boat again without thinking about what we may be floating over underneath!

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Summary: I knew there were tragedies on the lakes, but Wow!
Review: Very interestingly written on a subject that could have been full of facts, but dull reading. It refreshed my view of the Great Lakes and gave me a lesson in history and geography that I was not aware of.

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Summary: From the shores of Gitche Gumee to the waters of Lake Erie..
Review: William Ratigan is the author of one of the gems of all shipwreck books ever written that concerning the Great Lakes, and this is it! The major disasters (and some minor ones) are chronicled in this book. Each lake has several chapters that have to do with shipwrecks there, and all of it is VERY understandable, even to those unfamiliar to the Great Lakes. From the days of the tiny but proud Griffin to the loss of the Edmund Fitgerald in Lake Superior, this book tells the stories of shipwrecks of times long past and shipwrecks of the recent past. This book truly deserves 5 stars! I highly recommend it, and it is an important part of my Great Lakes library. Enjoy the book!

Rating:
Summary: An Ok Book
Review: William Ratigan's Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals is a good book if you want a record of each large shipwreck on the Great Lakes. Wrecks that occurred on each of the five Great Lakes organize the book. The last thirty pages are dedicated to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The book is more of an encolpia of shipwrecks than it is a book. It has some suspenseful points, but in general; it's dry and to the point.
There are very minimal pictures (at most 5) in the book. The writing is very informative and jammed packed. This would make a good book for someone who has a lot of time on his or her hands and can read very well. This would also make a good book for a person who had a, "sheltered" life; meaning, no personality, or since of humor.
There are some suspenseful points, but aren't what you think. They are quick and shot to the point. The book jumps from different ships all throughout the book as a cross-reference. Without any real life pictures of the ships the book refers to it becomes difficult to remember what ship they referred to without looking back.
I think there are better books with pictures and that are more user friendly and better organized than this book. My overall view of the book is thick old and dry with no visual aids. But in the books defense, this book does a great job explaining the shipwrecks, if you can stand reading a flood of words that are thicker than the Bible. It would just be that they put some visual aids to give your eyes a break.