The Great Fire of London was a catastrophic event, destroying much of London in 1666, and is the basis of Hanson's excellent book. He sets the scene superbly, beginning by describing the life and mood of London in 1666 in a vivid manner. By bringing to life some of the characters of the time, such as the baker Thomas Farriner, in whose premises the fire began, and King Charles II, the story is given a neat personal touch and makes for much more interesting reading.

Once Hanson has described the setting, and filled in background issues, such as the plague of the previous year and the (un)popularity of the King, he commences on the initiation and spread of the fire in a breath taking fashion. It literally is quite gripping reading, and I was glued to the pages, unable to put the book down. It only lets up once the fire is out, and the great loss of property and personal items is realised and the enornmous task of rebuilding greater London begins.

Hanson also describes the mob mentality of the Londoners in seeking out would be arsonists, assumed to be foreigners (England was waging a war against Holland at the time). The person hanged for the alleged arson, Hubert, was as Hanson tells us, most likely innocent. There are other suspects, even the King himself.

To sum up, this is an excellent read of an important event in London's history. People interested in London history would no doubt enjoy the book, but Hanson's literary style will appeal to many people just looking for interesting reading.

an amazing book, Keith Jessops passion of diving and particuliarly wreck salvage, leave indelible memories.
the books balance is great, enough early details to establish his character, the book really picks up pace with the various wreck salvages leading up to the edinburgh, the background and research is well documented, as are the details of setting up expeditions for locating and then salvaging the wrecks.

I wish I found the Gold.
Clive Cussler was right,this was a great Marine Archology book.
It was intresting,how the diver started his carere.I found the History of the Edinburgh very intresteding.One of the best marine Archology books I ever read.

Keith Jessop's achievement in successfully salvaging the treasure of the HMS Edinburgh parallels that of Tommy Thompson, who found and salvaged the gold from the 1857 wreck of the SS Central America. Jessop's book GOLDFINDER compares favorably to Gary Kinder's book SHIP OF GOLD; both books tell the full story of how the vessels (Edinburgh and Central America, respectively) came to grief, and both excel in their descriptions of the background and personal details of the men who would ultimately bring their treasures to the surface.

Jessop's accomplishment is particularly remarkable in that his expedition did not utilize ROVs, but instead relied upon surface-supplied divers who descended more than 800 feet to the bottom of the frigid Barents Sea to penetrate the armored bomb room of the sunken Edinburgh, retrieving her cargo of gold bars while enduring the danger and privations of saturation diving.

Fast-moving and charmingly told, the author brings his unique sense of humor and adventurous spirit to life on every page, resulting in a book that is engaging and fascinating. If you enjoy a grand adventure, and especially if you find interest in tales of shipwreck, diving and marine salvage, don't miss GOLDFINDER!

Hanson has spun a very interesting, compelling and thought provoking story into a boring yarn. The book simply reads like a novel (rather than history) written by a college sophomore in a seminar class. Hanson fills the story early on with useless details that never materialize to bear any relevance on the story. He seems only to be trumpeting the depth of his research without putting it to much use. His prose is thin and uninspired. One of the two most interesting aspects, the "at sea" portion of the story, is brief and contains little of the overwhelming drama it suggests. There is little exploration of the characters. Even the chapter listing other stories of cannibalism at sea are rattled off as if taken directly from research notes with little thought given to their place or purpose in the story. Some portions, such as verbatim trial testimony and factual background of the political and legal climate were enlightening.

The cover of this book is done in Victorian style, and the prose is Gothic, formal, and "very British." Although it's probably sailing on the trend of current sea books, like "The Perfect Storm", and the story of the whaling ship Essex, this book is different in tone. I found it enjoyable yet I do have reservations about the "docu-drama" style of imagined conversations, emotions, and memories, which to my mind, trivializes real events. I realize the constraints which the author faced, as all the characters are long dead, not available for interviewing.

It is a gripping, elemental story of a situation few of us like to think about. One fact is particularly haunting: Sometimes men on leanly-provisioned ships would "not see" a small boat of desperate people, fearing that if they rescued them, there would not be enough food for all. Leaders of shipwrecked survivors would have to instruct some of them to hide in the bottom of the boat so that a ship would approach. So much for brave captains and the noble code of the sea!

A book like this comes around rarely. It reads like a gothic novel but has all the research and facts of a court presentation. it is a true story, but its truth may be instinctively denied by the reader, so terrible is its basis. Despite an absorbing and well-written plot, the reader may at times be tempted to stp reading - if not in revulsion, at lesat in prayerful contemplation - but the urge to turn another page will prove too irresistible. In brief, The Custom of the Sea is a masterpiece of literature, historic jurisprudence, and English maritime history. Above all it is stark testament to Man's will to survive. It is a sailor's book, but the ethical and legal points it raises will be debated with equal passion by lawyers, priests, housewives, CEOs and others who may not know a bowline from a bow line. However large one's personal library may be, there are only a few books therein that have the power to leave a lifelong impression upon the reader. I predict this will be one such book.

Eden is the trough that divides the Lake District from the north Pennines, and is named for its river. Hanson took a year to cover the less than 100 miles of his route, which must be a record for slowness. With weeks or maybe months elapsing between each leg, the continuity suffers, but, having run a pub in the high north Pennines, he has plenty of inside knowledge to share, of local history, characters, farming and nature. Not too many laughs, and the lyrical passages are wordy and sometimes purple, but overall an enjoyable stroll through a little known corner of the country.