This is a must read for any Oceanliner or ship fan. It will transport you back to the days when the steamship was truly the only way to cross. After reading this book you'll realize that those floating barge-hotels that Carnival and the other Megalines call ships will never be Luxury liners! Long live the SS Norway!

I had the pleasure of meeting John Maxtone-Graham aboard the SS Norway in 1985. He autographed a copy of "The Only Way to Cross" and I have read it at least 3 times. I'll never tire of his detailed accounts of the ships and the people that made that era.

What I found really wonderful about the book was not only learning about the best parts of transatlantic travel but the worst as well. The section on Steerage as well as on the Boiler rooms show you every side of what life was like aboard the grandest ships to ever ply the oceans of the world.

If you buy only one book in your life buy this one!

If you like Ocean Liners, if you've ever dreamed of the days when crossing the North Atlantic meant 4 or more days at sea and not 5 or 6 hours in a cramped, fetid, airplane, this is the book for you. Maxtone-Grahm simply reaches into the past and makes a wonderful era come alive again. After you read it you'll swear you've voyaged on the Queens, the Mauretania or the Isle D' France...even if you were born in an era long after those ships went to the breakers.

This is book is the MUST READ for anyone who claims the title "Liner Buff."

After taking my first Caribbean cruise this past year, my interest in ocean liners peaked. In my "web surfing" I came across this striking book cover with the title "My Ocean Liner". After discovering it was a tale of a child's adventure on the Normandie, I thought it would be a perfect book for my 2 children.
We were not disappointed. My younger child was enthralled when I read it to her the first time. My older child has read and re-read the story many times and will read it on request to his younger sister! Both can't wait to take their first cruise. It seemed to have much more impact than our photographs.
The story is fun and exciting. The illustrations are amazing. I love the one of the massive engine room and also the huge colorful dining room. You get a clear feel for how amazing this enormous ship must have been. Ms. MacDonald must be an accomplished artist.
All in all, my children, wife and I give it a unanimous 5 Stars!!!

Not only does this children's book allow the reader's imagination to delve into a realistic journey aboard the incredible Normandie, but what children's book is complete without magnificent illustrationns! MacDonald's depictions of times aboard the ship are filled with color and life. My children are not yet able to read it on their own, but they love to turn the pages and look at the many beautifully done illustrations that could tell the story on their own. Don't pass this one up!

The best children's books always seem to have adventure at their core, and this charming illustrated story brings to life the wonder and excitement of a small boy who sails the Atlantic on a classic ocean liner. Both kids and parents alike will find themselves happily at sea aboard the Normandie--probably the most magnificent ship ever built--and absorbed in a nautical mystery that deepens as the ship braves wind, waves and storms and nears safe harbor along the coast of France. An extra bonus is the book's introduction to easy French words and seafarin' facts of all sorts. A must for those who like boats, and a good story too!

This book contains original paintings by Ian Marshall which include the Warrior, the Monitor, the Olympia, the Maine and various other amazing renditions of Pre-Dreadnought ships.

I have read this book and I have really enjoyed it very much. There was so much to learn from this book,but one question still remains unanswered. Was the iceberg warning from the Baltic and the Caronian the same iceberg or two different ones? I would like to be able to write to the authors for some questions of conflicting stories. Who really inspected the ship for damage? Why was the crew and passengers kept in the dark about the ice warnings. Getting back to this book I have 18 books on"TITANIC" and I rate this book very high and would strongly recomend it to the beginer as well as a person as myself,who done a great deal of study on "TITANIC"

John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas already known for their very involved Titanic research and dives in Nautile (IFREMER's Titanic submersible} have done a beautiful Titanic book describing stateroom's the voyage building and sinking in a beautiful 352 pages have put together a book which in itself is as good as Titanic: An Illustrated History. Gives insurance claims Philadelphia first class passenger mrs. Cardeza filed for 18 suitcaces , 3 trunks and a medicine kit . A book which many experts (Myself included ) Love . Excellent for any Titanic Buff!

I found this book in my local library and took it out to read. However as soon as I got it home and looked through it I was enthralled by the pictures. The text was fairly standard fare although some of the earlier chapters had interesting info concerning the planning and construction of Titanic. The pictures steal the show and they made up my mind to buy this book for myself as such pictures need to be looked at and digested over months and years rather than the few weeks one has with a library book. If you have any interest in Titanic - BUY IT.

I had been enticed by the hardcover edition at the library and was hoping this softcover brought it up to date from 1985...but the only addenda from 2000 were confined to the new preface. Hence four instead of five stars. That said, this book is truly a celebration of the ultimate seagoing experience ( unless you are a dedicated small boat windsailor). Maxtone-Graham KNOWS and LOVES his ships-- down to the details of welding and design-- their captains and crew, their passengers and their milieux, and the sheer exuberance of unwinding, relaxing, shmoozing, partying or simply vegging on an ocean-going palace. The author's wonderfully cosmopolitan outlook and elegance of expression match the glitz, glamor --- and sometimes grit-- of the wonderful vessels he describes with such evocative precision. He is at home among the hoi polloi, but definitely no effete snob. When addressing the delicate issue of Class versus Crass (yesteryear's sophisticated passenger contrasted to today's alleged boor) the author wisely points out that the Old Guard elite also had their share of back-slapping, spittle shpritzing louts aboard. Those who mourn the passing of Great Liner gentility have forgotten about these annoying ship crawlers. Maxtone-Graham does make distinctions between the most garish of the party-hardy Spring Break specials and the classier cruise ships. He does not neglect the luxurious smaller vessels as so many cruise ship writers do. For example the always interesting Arnold Kludas won't consider any ship under 10,000 gross tons in his multi-volumed compendium. Maxtone-Graham gives a vivid and affectionate review of an Atlantic crossing on one of the first of the modern Mega-Yachts, the 4,250 ton Sea Goddess I (now operated by Seabourn with its sister ship). I particularly enjoyed the lively accounts of the memorable, and gone-forever,grand tours such as the 1938-39 lavish and fun-filled Normandie cruises to Rio and many other such "journeys to nowhere". I did not find the excellent depiction of the down and dirty details of design and construction at all boring, as the author feared. Equally informative is the insight into the economic realities confronting the cruise travel industry as it enters the twenty-first century. Details such as cabin and bathroom design are brought to life by demonstrating the relative comfort and convenience factors of different arrangements. I have never tired of re-reading this wonderfully evocative book. Having missed the author's The Only Way to Cross, the appendix relating some letters he received about the earlier book was a welcome bonus. The illustrations....deck plans, interior and exterior photos and drawings, are quite helpful in visualizing life and luxury aboard. Highly recommended both for bon voyagers and those who would rather read about life at sea from a dry and steady berth.

Liners To The Sun is an engaging and informative "ocean travelogue" which also offers considerable insight on the past, present, and possible future of ocean cruising. Featuring more than 250 black-and-white photographs and drawings, showcased with an authentically detailed narration, and an attention to the nuts-and-bolts of shipboard voyages, combine to make Liners To The Sun an especially recommended title for anyone wanting or needing to learn more about the realities and experiences of life on the waves in general, and ocean bound cruising in particular.

The natural follow-on to his seminal "The Only Way to Cross," "Liners to the Sun" brings more of Maxtone-Graham's great stories to print. Able to describe technical details with an easy precision, the author also contributes a great deal to the lore of cruising, from the earliest history to the latest developments, from the economics of cruise voyages to rich anecdotal details of what life is like on a long cruise (for some too long!). This review is written from the 1985 edition, and there have been so many changes in the industry that a new edition is not only cause for celebration, but also an incentive to own both books!

Whoever picked the title "Titanic Survivor" for this book apparently hoped to cash in on the Titanic bandwagon from the "Titanic" movie. Despite the title, the book does not devote much time to the actual story of Titanic but instead details the life of Violet Jessop, the survivor. There is more description of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, and that sinking. At times the book appears to be disjointed. It is a good read overall, especially for anyone interested in history from a personal perspective. Definitely worth recommending!

Violet Jessop went to sea as a stewardess on an ocean liner in 1908. She continued as a stewardess through the glory days when a transatlantic ship crossing was as much a society event as a mode of transportation. She retired at age 63 in 1950, long after traveling by ship had ceased to be chic. During her career Violet Jessop lived through three ocean disasters:

1. the September 1911 collision of HMS Hawke with Olympic,

2. the sinking of Titanic in 1912, and

3. the sinking of the hospital ship Britannic during World War I.

But the reader who picks up this book expecting a gripping first-person account of the sinking of Titanic will be disappointed. Jessop treats that experience in a mere two or three pages. She dismisses the sinking of Britannic in a couple of pages and doesn't even mention the collision between Hawke and Olympic.

From our current historical perspective, it's easy to judge that the most important event in Violet Jessop's life was her presence on board Titanic. But for Violet the best part of her life was her early childhood, before her father's death, in South America. Her book tells in lovingly remembered detail of her days on the Pampas before her father's illness and early death sent the family back to England and into financial need. Violet went into service on a ship not because of the glamour of the work, but because it was a job that required little education.

Violet, who lived from 1887 to 1971, completed this manuscript in 1934, probably for some contest that she apparently did not win. Her nieces discovered the manuscript after her death and submitted it to Sheridan House for publication in 1996.

This woman who is the subject of this book should not be judged for when and where she happened to be in history, but the kind of life she led.

I know that many people will buy this book for the fact alone that Miss Jessop survived the Titanic sinking. That episode, however, represents only a tiny fraction of the entire tapestry of her life, and it is that "saga", recounted here with invaluable editing and background information, that is truly riveting.

Prior to reading this book, I was familiar with Miss Jessop's White Star collision and sinking experiences onboard the Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic, but had NO idea of the rest of her work, background or personality.

What a life! And when you finish reading this, you will be hoping that there are more memoirs hidden somewhere! I did a marathon read of this book, not being able to stop until I finished.

This book is truly a winner! I am so thankful that it has been published.

Safe Return Doubtful is a very interesting and well-written book, but suffers from the common disease of polar writing: glorification of suffering. The British being the true pioneers in the field of needless suffering, the book naturally emphasizes the British view of the polar expeditions. As a consequence, Amundsen is villified and Scott glorified, for example. Strangely, the book doesn't discuss the greatest, most heroic, polar expedition-Shackleton's attempt to cross Antarctica.

All in all, this is a worthwhile read if you are a polar exploration buff.

To write a book which covers the expansive history of polar exploration is a large undertaking. This book does this that. With a sometimes dim view of successes, the author methodically covers the major polar explorations of both the North and the South Poles. Although Graham can sometimes miss the glory of what some people did, Shackelton's Endurance expedition and Amundsen's Northwest Passage voyage, he does give a great overview of some of the lesser known facts of Polar exploration. If you are looking for a good place to start in learning about Polar explorers this is a good place to start

This book does contain nuggets of good advice but they are buried under tons of self-involved verbiage.

The author's obvious knowledge of cruise travel is bogged down with overly verbose language that makes reading it a chore rather than a pleasure. On a more positive note the photographs are interesting and the title catches the eye.

The book is not helpful to first-time cruisers or those looking for an easy read.

IS THE AUTHORS INTENTION TO INFORM US OR SHOW US HOW LARGE HIS VOCABULARY IS??? FOR THE AVERAGE "JOE" GOING ON THE 1ST CRUISE THEY CAN EASILY BE SCARED AWAY BY MR MAXTONE-GRAHAMS' USE OF EXTENSIVE VERBAL DIARRHEA. HIS VERBIAGE GIVES AN AIR OF PRETENTIOUSNESS..... REQUIRING IMMODIUM NOT DRAMAMINE..

I don't understand why anyone -- even an "average joe" -- would consider this a difficult read. It's true that Mr. Maxtone-Graham's diction is a bit more formal than is usual nowadays, but I found this to be one of the book's greatest charms. I also enjoyed the personal tone, and did not find it overly self-indulgent. That may be a matter of taste. What worries me is that anyone with a normal IQ would find this book hard to understand. And you don't have to be familiar with every word to understand a book.


I found "Cruise Savvy" to be a refreshingly different kind of travel guide, and it sold me on the idea of cruises. We booked our first shortly after I read it, and found the advice we'd taken with us from the book to be as helpful and appropriate as that found in more conventional travel guides. Not as comprehensive, perhaps -- but it made up for that in providing an enjoyable reading experience and in evoking a "cruise mood." In short, "Cruise Savvy" combines helpful information with reading pleasure. It is perhaps best read along with a laundry-list kind of guide, for maximum preparedness.