Atlas Of Shipwrecks & Treasure

Rating:
Summary: Well researched and well presented.
Review:


Shortly after this book was first published, I attended the London Dive Show and I recall how I had to convince the lady selling this particular book to let me purchase her last "counter" copy because she had sold out within a couple of hours of opening on that first day.

This book is a collection of shipwreck and treasure stories from ancient and modern times shown in the context of where they are in the world. Measuring 12½ in x 10¼ in (315mm x 260mm), it is packed with almost 200 pages of exactly the sort of information every diver wants to read. In short, this hardback book is a steal at £20.

A quick glance at the contents page reveals how the author uses the word world-wide theme of the book to good effect with chapters on; Bronze Age to Byzantium, Vikings, Chinese Junks, Levantine Trade, Portuguese Carracks, Armada, Spanish Plate Fleets, Pirates and Privateers, East Indiamen, Revolution, Great Collectors, Gold Rush, Mail Ships and Liners and ships from WW2. These are followed by carefully detailed Annexes which show; The relevant maps, shipwreck listings, glossary, bibliography, index and acknowledgements.

The treasures are enough to make any mouth water - and they are not yet all found. Altogether I consider this to be a scholarly piece of work - and no Divers bookshelf can be considered complete without a copy.

NM






Rating:
Summary: A fun book to breeze through.
Review: A great coffee table book I've owned for a few years, this book is full of interesting facts that are put together in an interesting way. Not a hard-core history book by any means. Not really in-depth, either. Pretty pictures make it good for all ages of reading.