Book Description
"Son, we’re going to Hell."
The navigator of the USS Houston confided these prophetic words to a young officer as he and his captain charted a course into U.S. naval legend. Renowned as FDR’s favorite warship, the cruiser USS Houston was a prize target trapped in the far Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Without hope of reinforcement, her crew faced a superior Japanese force ruthlessly committed to total conquest. It wasn’t a fair fight, but the men of the Houston would wage it to the death.
Hornfischer brings to life the awesome terror of nighttime naval battles that turned decks into strobe-lit slaughterhouses, the deadly rain of fire from Japanese bombers, and the almost superhuman effort of the crew as they miraculously escaped disaster again and again–until their luck ran out during a daring action in Sunda Strait. There, hopelessly outnumbered, the Houston was finally sunk and its survivors taken prisoner. For more than three years their fate would be a mystery to families waiting at home.
In the brutal privation of jungle POW camps dubiously immortalized in such films as The Bridge on the River Kwai, the war continued for the men of the Houston—a life-and-death struggle to survive forced labor, starvation, disease, and psychological torture. Here is the gritty, unvarnished story of the infamous Burma–Thailand Death Railway glamorized by Hollywood, but which in reality mercilessly reduced men to little more than animals, who fought back against their dehumanization with dignity, ingenuity, sabotage, will–power—and the undying faith that their country would prevail.
Using journals and letters, rare historical documents, including testimony from postwar Japanese war crimes tribunals, and the eyewitness accounts of Houston’s survivors, James Hornfischer has crafted an account of human valor so riveting and awe-inspiring, it’s easy to forget that every single word is true.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book.......2007-09-28
Excellent write-up on a little-known story. I had read of the Houston, but not of the fate of the survivors.
Ship of Ghosts - A Must Read for all Generations.......2007-07-31
Mr. Hornfischer graced my University Area Rotary Club in Austin, his home town, with an excellent talk about the saga of some of our bravest men from the greatest generation. Of course, I bought a copy of the book and it took me a few days to get through it before I hand it to my father to read. Hornfisher shows an unlikely ability to truly connect the facts of the USS Houston and her POW survivors together to tell a compelling human story of the horrors of war and the ability of man to overcome any adversity. Hornfischer is a true patriot for documenting the courage of these brave men, and I am a better man for reading this great book.
A good telling of the USS Houston and her crew.......2007-06-18
Ship of Ghosts is Mr. Hornfischer telling of the USS Houston and her crew during WWII. The USS Houston, known as the Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast (because of how many times the Japanese reported her sunk) was the flagship of the US Asiatic Fleet. In WWII she was responsible for holding and delaying the Japanese in taking Indonesia. Any ways, Mr. Hornfischer opens by telling us the early pre-war history of the USS Houston, how she was used by FDR as his yacht, and the history of the gentlemen whom Mr. Hornfischer interviewed.
After telling us about the pre-war years, Mr. Hornfisher jumps into the action of the Battle of the Java Sea and Sunda Strait. This is then followed by telling us about the crews time as POW's and working on the "Death Railway". Most of this book deals with their experience as POW's (btw, the crew of the HMAS Perth has coverage in this book, not as much as the USS Houston, but it is recognized. Also, Mr. Hornfischer cover the men of the 2nd battalion, 131st Field Artillery). In the chapters dealing with the men being prisoners of war we learn about the poor conditions they kept in and how terrible it was working in Burma on the railway (interestingly, the conditions in Thailand were worse). An interesting fact the Mr. Hornfischer points out several times is how the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai poorly represented the conditions the men served under.
Rating wise this book was very easy for me. A solid 4.5 stars. While Mr. Hornfischer did a commendable job telling us about the crew, I had two problems. First, was his book Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors was more solidly written than this one. There I felt as if I was there, this time I had someone telling me of the tale. My primary reason though for only 4.5 stars is that I'd read The Ghost That Died at Sunda Strait(by W.G. Winslow, a true 5 star book). Since I can't leave this as a half star I need to round the number. If I hadn't read Mr. Winslow's book prior, I might round up, however since I've read his book, this one gets rounded down. Sorry Mr. Hornfischer. A very good book though! It complements Mr. Winslow's nicely and picks up where Mr. Winslow chose to leave off. A very good job!
A Last-Minute Tribute.......2007-04-26
With America's WW II veterans dying at the rate of 1,500 a day, we are clearly into "the last lap". Therefore, Jim Hornfischer's excellent treatment of the cruiser Houston comes none too soon. His taut narrative actually involves two stories between the covers of one book: the ship's early combat in the Pacific and the surviving crew members' 3 1/2 year struggle for survival ashore.
There's a lesson for other researchers and authors: "the greatest generation" is fading fast, and its memories are fading even faster. Now is the time to grab the tape recorder or notepad and get the remaining veterans' stories while they are still accessible.
A Missing Piece of History.......2007-04-09
Americans generally think they know about world War II if they know about Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, the Russian Front, and the Pacific War from the perspective of island hopping coming from the east side of the Pacific. What we usually overlook is the war in Southeast Asia. John Hornfischer has written what might be two books, one about the nearly-solo fight of an isloated ship in the face of the Japanese onslsught in 1942, and the other about the unbelievable suffering of prisoners of war in Japanese prison camps building the Thailand-Burma Railroad - familiar to most of us from the sanitized version seen in the movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai. The writing is good (though not overly great); but it is the content that makes this one of the best books written about World War II, the early struggle to give ground only very dearly, the suffering enduured by our soldiers, and finally the failure to meet the real needs of soldiers trying to readjust to society after three years of captivity.
Book Description
Before The Perfect Storm, before In the Heart of the Sea, Steven Callahan's dramatic tale of survival at sea was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than thirty-six weeks. In some ways the model for the new wave of adventure books, Adrift is an undeniable seafaring classic, a riveting firsthand account by the only man known to have survived more than a month alone at sea, fighting for his life in an inflatable raft after his small sloop capsized only six days out. "Utterly absorbing" (Newsweek), Adrift is a must-have for any adventure library.
Customer Reviews:
Compared to these 76 days, life for most of us is a cakewalk.......2007-09-12
The open ocean asked Steven how badly he wanted to live, and he answered by enduring over two months of loneliness, near starvation, constant thirst, and countless open sores from his unending saltwater bath. Through it all, he never knew if all his suffering would lead to redemption or death. This is indeed a story of courage and strength in the face of the natural adversity of thousands of square miles of open ocean. Compared to these 76 days, life for most of us is a cakewalk. Steven's story is compelling, memorable and inspiring.
sea-savvy sailor boredom.......2007-06-22
Amazing? Hardly! As hard as it was for Steven Callahan to survive 76 days asea in a rubber dingy, it doesn't make for a very interesting book. How much can happen in a setting of a dingy and an ocean of saltwater? Well, three things: fish, water and blisters. If you find any of those three things excitingly interesting, them jump on in to this book. If you're a sea-savvy sailor, unlike me, maybe you'll understand more of the seamen terminology, techology and boredom. How was this story worthy of 344 pages is beyond me. I'm not just uncompasionate, just uninterested. If you want to read a "lost at sea book" and don't care about fiction/non-fiction, then read Life of Pi.
Great story .......2007-05-27
A really great well written story. I read the book within a day it was so captivating. Buy it, you'll enjoy it and learn a lot !!
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BOOK.......2007-05-25
this book was simply incredible- it is BY FAR the most exciting, interesting and amazing story i have ever read in my life- my favourite book i have ever read i may even say and i am a huge reader- (and i'm approaching 40)- i feel it changed my life if you can believe it- his descriptions of the events that took place and his feelings that went along with them were so well told that i really felt i was along in this survival adventure with him- you feel such compassion and hope when you read this book, it really touched my soul i must say- i am not a sailor and know little about sailing, so you don't need to appreciate sailing to love this book- i still felt like i was on the atlantic with him and this may sound crazy but this book was so rivetting that i sometimes feel i really have been on the atlantic adrift in a dinghy- sounds crazy i am sure but i think this is a testament to how well he relates it to us the reader- i can only imagine what it would be like to read this book if you are an avid sailor... this is a must read book for everyone in my opinion-
A revealing odyssey.......2007-05-14
This is the fascinating story of a resourceful sailor who drifted in a life raft across the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike other adventurers who have chronicled solo transoceanic journeys (Joshua Slocum, Thor Heyerdahl, Alain Bombard, William Willis, etc.), his journey was unplanned. After the sudden sinking of his sailboat, he had to hurriedly abandon ship into an inflatable life raft with whatever supplies he could snatch. His seventy-six day ordeal takes place in this constantly leaking raft too small to accommodate his full body length. He knows from the outset that his food and water supplies are inadequate. His story of survival thus becomes not one of simple endurance, but a confrontation of many external and internal challenges ranging from securing food and water to dealing with isolation and despair. He meets these with remarkable ingenuity and determination. Forced into introspection that borders on the mystical at times, his reflections on how his mindset and personal characteristics responded to these challenges make for as fascinating an inner journey as the one his body endured. This is what separates this from most adventure stories, and why I think it will endure as a classic of the genre.
Product Description
This Choose Your Own Adventure 6-Book Boxed Set includes the following storied titles from the classic, interactive, children's series: The Abominable Snowman * Journey Under the Sea * Space and Beyond * The Lost Jewels of Nabooti * Mystery of the Maya * House of Danger.
Customer Reviews:
Choose Your Own Adventure.......2007-09-10
These books are fantastic - I have fond memories of them from my childhood. As a school teacher, they are a wonderful read aloud. I let the children vote everytime there is a choice. They think they're great!
Great reading for people of all ages.......2007-09-03
We have read Choose Your Own Adventure 1-6, and our 7 year old son, my husband & I were glued to every book. The books are well written, interesting & intriguing. Not too scary but gripping. We highly reccomend these books to everyone. They can be read & reread, a real plus.
NOT the original books.......2007-04-20
My children have been enjoying some of my old Choose Your Own Adventure books from the 80's, so when I saw this rerelease of several classic books for such a reasonable price, I bought it for them. Well, apparently R.A. Montgomery wasn't able to get the rights on the original illustrations, so he had a bunch of freelance designers from Thailand draw replacement pictures for each of them, and they are AWFUL. Not just 'different,' but shockingly, unignorably BAD -- they look like cartoons drawn carelessly by teenagers, with no sense of proportion, anatomy, lighting, or anything else. The drawings in "Mystery of the Maya" are not bad but most of the others are so terrible they render the books unreadable. Leaving them unillustrated would have been better than this. Find used copies of the originals (most of which are for sale cheap on Amazon) or just pick something else to read.
Paths Too Short.......2007-03-30
You make one or two choices and the book is over. They should only have a few endings and make each path longer.
My 9-year-old LOVES these.......2007-01-10
We bought these books for our son because we remembered how much we loved them at his age. They are much quicker reads than I remember, but he loves them, so they get 5 stars. One book takes him less than 45 minutes to get through. He hasn't gotten to the stage where he goes back and makes different choices yet, but I'm sure he'll become even more fond of them then.
Book Description
The vast hidden world of sunken treasure.
With less than 2% of the world's ocean depths explored to date, a myriad of unimagined mysteries and treasures await discovery.
Treasure Lost at Sea chronicles the excitement of underwater archaeology and search for treasure. The book recounts the major periods and geographic locations of shipwrecks.
Chapters include:
- The classical world
- Scandinavian shipwrecks
- The age of discovery
- The Spanish galleons
- Bermuda, graveyard of ships
- Privateers, pirates and mutineers
- Deep-water shipwrecks (Bismarck, Titanic, and others)
- Port Royal: The sunken city
The lively text details the potential treasure as well as the political turf wars, technological limitations, and forces of nature that threaten any mission's success.
Humanity's long history of exploration, civilization, trade and war is littered with sunken vessels. Colorful and richly illustrated,
Treasure Lost at Sea will inspire a new generation of underwater archaeologists.
Customer Reviews:
A well-written, wide-ranging book.......2006-07-20
This is a well-written book which ranges in presentation of shipwrecks and their treasures from ancient wrecks to a few 20th century ships (Titanic, Bismark). Lots of adventure and tales of the search for treasure ships without getting bogged down in minutae. The ships range through time since man began plying the seas and across the world. I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to you. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I would have liked MORE pictures. It is loaded with pictures, but there was plenty of space to include more!
Book Description
The excruciating tale of the Ross Sea party, the other side of Shackleton's Endurance expedition
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed south aboard the Endurance to make history by crossing the Antarctic continent. Shackleton's story is legend, but few know the harrowing story of the Ross Sea party, Shackleton's support group dispatched to the other side of the continent to build a lifeline of food and fuel depots to bear his crossing.
“I had not anticipated that the work would present any great difficulties,” Shackleton wrote. Yet everything went tragically wrong when the Ross Sea ship, the Aurora, tore free of her moorings and disappeared in a gale, leaving ten men marooned with only the clothes on their backs and few provisions. With little hope of rescue from a world embroiled in World War I, the men decided to accomplish their mission against all odds.
Long overshadowed by the mission these men bargained their lives to sustain, this heartrending story of survival against all odds now gets its due in this definitive, surprising account of the final journey of the heroic age of polar expedition.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring tale of adventure and discovery.......2007-08-24
This book is quite a gripping story both in based in tragedy and triumph.
I saw the PBS special on the Shackleton Journey, but many times, like this, the book is much better.
The book was highly researched and vividly written describing the many astonishing moments of the expedition.
It was a ten-man journey the relies heavily on personal journals about some happy moments and some very terrible times. It goes into detail about the decreasing health of the journeymen and stuggles with scurvey, frostbite, snow blindness and the horrible mental and emotional anguish that many sucumb to on this dangerous 1330-mile mission to Antarctica.
Can You Be A Hero If Your Efforts Are Ultimately Pointless?.......2007-06-04
Both sucessful and failed feats of courage are lauded by literature. Many have heard (and read) of the failed expedition of Ernest Shackleton to cross Antarctica. Shackletom failed to even reach the continent, as his ship, the Endurance failed to reach land.
Less well known is the story of the Ross Sea Party -- the group charged with laying in supplies that Shackleton would need as he crossed the pole and returned northward. This book tells the saga of the poorly funded "other half" of the planned expedition.
Focusing more on the shore party, rather than on the shipboard party on the Aurora, the book details the mistakes that were made in the first summer attempt to stock the depots, where Macintosh drove the sled dogs to death and made very little progress, to the stranding of the shore party at the end of the first summer when they were not picked up by the ship.
Presuming the ship lost, and wondering if a rescue would even be attempted during WWI, the 10 men were determined to do the job they were sent to do and proceeded through all odds to strive to lay the depots that Shackleton would never need.
Kelly Tyler-Lewis examines the physical and mental struggles of the shore party including their deep divisions over leadership styles. Culled from the diaries of the expedition, she has weaved a gripping tale of man's struggle against incredible odds.
Thought-provoking chronicle of adventure and adversity.......2007-01-10
The attractive front-cover design is the first indication of the quality of this work, which is well researched and written and a thoroughly engrossing read. Highly recommended.
The Strong Men.......2007-01-09
I have read nearly every book in print dealing with the exploration and saga of Shackleton and his men. Kelly Tyler-Lewis' book The Lost Men rates as one of the best. The "harrowing story" of these hearty men stranded in the desolate Ross Sea is incredible, for lack of words.
Duty-bound, these men laid the stores for a transantarctic voyage that would never materialize. These were men who risked their own lives to ensure the safety of others whose whereabouts were unknown.
The Lost Men is an epic struggle of man versus the ravages of nature and reveals the triumphs and the tragedies involved. It is a book of determination, leadership and accountability.
Of special interest are the generous notes included dealing with such issues as diet (e.g., Their diet lacked nearly all essential vitamins necessary for such a feat), body temperature (e.g., One man recorded a body temperature of 94.2), and navigation of pack ice (e.g. in 2002 it took two Coast Guard ships over two weeks to break through ice roughly thirty miles to Hut point.)
The Lost Men is an exciting and riveting book. As a two-time traveler to McMurdo Sound, I highly recommend this work.
The Most Useless Journey in the World.......2006-08-26
"The Lost Men", by Kelly Tyler-Lewis is the sister book to the original saga of Sir Ernest Shcakelton's journey to Antarctica. The original called "The Worst Journey in the World" tells of Shackelton's failed expedition to cross Antarctica. His ship the Endurance was smashed by ice in the Weddell Sea and his men stranded until their eventual rescue by Shackelton himself after a harrowing journey in a 22 foot open boat across the southern ocean.
Shackelton's Ross Sea Party, the subject of "The Lost Men", is the other half of Shackelton's ill-fated expedition. The Ross Sea party was charged with sailing to the opposite side of Antarctica from the Wedell Sea and laying storage depots of food and supplies along Shackelton's route. The harrowing saga of these men to lay these depots is brilliantly described by historian Tyler-Lewis. Despite extreme conditions, shortages of supplies, faulty leadership and blizzard after blizzard, the Ross Sea party managed to lay supply depots along Shackelton's route and waited for him in vain. The whole expedition proved to be all for naught as Shackelton's plans went awry. Two of the men from the Ross Sea party succumbed to the conditions having been weakened by the vitamin-C deficiency disease scurvy.
If you like adventure novels this one is for you. If you have read "The Worst Journey in the World" this book will complete the saga.
The writing is crisp and well done. Tyler-Lewis has done a fantastic job to bring history to life. You can feel the pain and suffering of the men in her words. Bravo!
Book Description
Join world-renowned undersea explorer Dr. Robert D. Ballard for an extraordinary adventure to the final resting places of legendary ocean liners and ghostly warships. In 1985 Ballard discovered the most famous ship of all, the Titanic, and since then he's explored her sister ship Britannic, the Lusitania, the Andrea Doria, and Hitler's most famous battleship, the Bismarck. In this comprehensive volume, Ballard gives a guided tour of these ships and others, retelling their harrowing stories, and revealing the sunken secrets locked inside their ghostly wrecks. High-tech underwater photography, archival photos, illustrations and memorabilia recall the splendor of these magnificent vessels, thought at one time to be 'unsinkable.' There is also an exploration of the Pacific's greatest battlefield—Iron Bottom Sound—and the lost ships of Guadalcanal.
Customer Reviews:
Very good book! Best choice for amateurs historicicians........2007-05-13
Hi friends divers and amateurs historicicinas:
This book are a very good font about the ship wrecks.
I recomend!
Best regards,
Ballard At His Best.......2007-03-09
Robert Ballard and Rick Archbold have brought a most intriguing undersea world to the surface with this facinating and richly detailed book. The photographs are most interesting but the illustrations by Ken Marschall are absolutely fantastic and are the highlight of the book.
A must own book for every lover of the sea
I loved it!.......2006-03-14
This large and attractive book combines the work of oceanographer Robert Ballard, author Rick Archibold, and maritime artist Ken Marshall. The course of the book takes you through the history of the trans-Atlantic cruise liner, from its inception in the early nineteenth century, through to today. Along the way, the authors focus on many key happenings, particularly the sinking of certain ships. As an added bonus, information is presented on the Bismarck and the ships of Iron Bottom Sound, in the Solomon Islands. Along the way, the reader is treated to many wonderful illustrations and colorful pictures.
Overall, I found this to be a fascinating book. I enjoyed the stories of ships I had never heard of, such as the Arctic and Atlantic, and I really loved the many pictures. This is a great book, one that is bound to fascinate anyone interested in ship wrecks. I loved it!
Great book...but seen it before..........2005-10-22
I waited very anxiously for several months for this book to be published. I own several of Dr. Ballard's books and find them all fantastic. So when I opened this one, I was somewhat disappointed to find that this book is basically a re-packaging of one of his earlier, now out-of-print books, LOST LINERS, with the Bismarck and Guadalcanal added. Don't get me wrong...this is an absolutely beautiful book and I *highly* recommend it (but again, be advised this is a LOST LINERS rehash). Ken Marschall's paintings are exquisite and haunting. And his rendition of the Lusitania sinking is downright frightening. One has to look closely to see that these are not actual photographs. The most interesting painings show the underwater view of what the ships look like today. Dr. Ballard is never boring and is very thourough. His presentation includes the background research of the companies as well as the ships themselves. With this added information, you come to realize that these ships were more than just boats that sank...you see that they were once alive. I will still give this five stars. LOST LINERS is out of print and not many people may have seen it. Regardless, this is a beautiful book with detailed historical narratives, amazing paintings, neat underwater photographs and, most importantly, the storied achievements of Dr. Robert Ballard.
Beautiful ships from a time past........2005-10-18
It has been twenty years since Dr. Ballard discovered the Titanic. Since then he has gone on to explore the hulks of several famous sunken ships. The photographs he has brought back to the surface have been nothing less than astounding. But the limitations of underwater photography prevent broad panoramic views of the ships. In this book there is a combination of photographs (both pre and post sinking) and of brilliant paintings done from these photographs.
Here are descriptions of these ships as they were built, as they sailed. Here also is the story of their sinking. Finally here is the story of how they look today, ghostly remains of what they once were. The photographs record two trips down to the Titanic, and visits to the Britannic, Lusitania, Empress of Ireland, Andrea Doria, Bismark and to the warships sunk in Iron Bottom Sound off of Guadalcanal.
This is a beautiful book of what was.
Amazon.com
In February 1983, two crabbing vessels set out from port in Alaskan waters at the peak of crabbing season. Filled to the brim with crab pots, both ships, the Americus and the Altair, were considered state-of-the-art for the industry: each only a few years old, equipped with thousands of dollars' worth of lifesaving equipment. Neither ship returned to port, and none of their 14 crew members was ever seen again. It was the worst commercial fishing accident in America's history.
In Lost at Sea, Patrick Dillon examines how the Americus/Altair disaster is indicative of the problems with American fishing, an industry that annually tops the list of "Most Dangerous Occupations," and what has been done in the tragedy's aftermath. During his research, including a season as a crew member aboard a fishing boat, Dillon encountered a murky sea full of men fiercely opposed to government regulations, an industry that always expects to do business the same way--its own way--and, conversely, an American government that prodded its fishing industry into possibly unsafe practices in order to compete with foreign fishing powers. Dillon interviews dozens of friends, coworkers, and family members of the lost fishermen, and the scenes that describe the small Washington town of Anacortes, which hosted the lost fleet and is almost completely reliant on fishing for livelihood, are touching. In the end, despite years of hearings and probes into the fishing industry, not much has changed, Dillon reports. Every year a certain number of men go out into rough seas, and every year a smaller number of them return home, as the industry remains largely free of regulation. --Tjames Madison
Book Description
On February 3, 1983, the men aboard Americus and Altair, two state-of-the-art crabbing vessels, docked in their home port of Anacortes, Washington, prepared to begin a grueling three-month season fishing in the notorious Bering Sea. Eleven days later, on Valentine's Day, the overturned hull of the Americus was found drifting in calm seas, with no record of even a single distress call or trace of its seven-man crew. The Altair vanished altogether. Despite the desperate search that followed, no evidence of the vessel or its crew would ever be found. Fourteen men were lost. And the tragedy would mark the worst disaster in the history of U.S. commercial fishing.
With painstaking research and spellbinding prose, acclaimed journalist Patrick Dillon brings to life the men who were lost, the dangers that commercial fishermen face, the haunting memories of the families left behind...and reconstructs the intense investigation that ensued, which for the first time exposed the dangers of an industry that would never again be the same.
Download Description
'On February 14, 1983, two state-of-the-art fishing boats were lost without a trace in the Bering Sea. Award-winning journalist Patrick Dillon delivers the story of this tragedy, the worst commercial fishing disaster in American history.
Customer Reviews:
Don't expect a riveting read.......2007-06-17
In this book, Dillon describes the tragedy that struck an Anacortes, WA based fishing fleet when two of its boats mysteriously sunk on the same day in the Bering Sea. Since so little is known about how the boats sunk, this is not a gripping page turner detailing a heroic survival attempt at sea such as you would find in books by Spike Walker. Instead, the book focuses more on the aftermath and the Coast Guard's inquiry into how the accidents happened. While I found the section on the Coast Guard inquiry interesting, some might find it a little dry. Later in the book, Dillon focuses on efforts in Washington to implement safety regulations on the historically unregulated fishing industry. This section, again, is a little dry, but I found it interesting.
The bottom line is, if you are interested in the fishing industry in general, you will enjoy this book, but don't expect a gripping page-turner like "Perfect Storm" or something like that.
Good reporting; writing needs some help.......2006-12-05
Early passages were overwritten, hard to follow, and occasionally just clunky. Lots of imprecise phrasing and standard imagery. Prose is full of vague references to an ever-changing "it," which clutters meanings and takes some of the fun out of reading. Looks as if author had lots to report. I appreciate that, as well as the passion to tell the story. But he could have tried harder to write well, given the silly hype on the back cover. I lost interest. What ever happened to understatement?
A Visual tour back to my adolesence.......2006-04-20
I can still remember standing in a downtown field where McDonalds is now erected mourning the losses of my friends, classmates and fellow Fisherman with half the town of Anacortes. It was almost spooky as I picked this book up and could not stop until I finished it visualizing that day that had become burned into my long term memory. Patrick Dillion depicted the story with a bias view, and helped the reader to understand the highs and lows of commercial crabbing.
A Little Book Sick.......2003-12-08
This book was okay. Since it was a true story it kind of was boring. I understand though, because people's life's arent a 24 hour action story. It was well written though, for a true story.
Not really a book about being lost at sea.......2003-09-20
I picked up this book expecting it to be about a great tragedy at sea, maybe encorporating a great survival story or a heroic struggle with the ocean. However, this is a book more about courts and hearings to assess liability for the accident and set new safety standards for the fishing industry not too much about the tragedy itself. If you like to read about politics and policy, this is the book for you, but if you like to read about stories at sea, you'd be better off choosing a different book.
Customer Reviews:
Left me wanting more........2005-03-27
Personally, I rate Dr Ballard's books; The Discovery of the Titanic, Lost ships of Guadalcanal, Return to Midway and Exploring the Lusitania as some of the finest works on the subject of shipwrecks ever to have been published. On this occasion, however, I am left with a feeling of disappointment at finding such a thin book.
Perhaps anything short of the discovery of another Titanic would always be a disappointment to some - but let us examine the content. Firstly, we have 5 of the world's greatest ever shipwrecks; Titanic, Empress of Ireland, Lusitania, Britannic and Andrea Doria. Each of these vessels was a great ship in it's own right and their like will never be seen again. Indeed, entire books have been written about each of them - by this author and by others. As with all great shipwreck stories, there is always an element of mystery - arguments for and against the mine versus torpedo theory for example. Those arguments, in addition to all the many other elements of the overall picture, must always be fully presented and reasoned in order to allow readers to draw their own conclusions.
In this book, the text, photography and excellent (as always) illustrations by Ken Marschall are confined to 56 pages. Quite frankly, that is not enough room for any single great shipwreck - let alone five! Easy to see why I was left wanting more.
NM
Young people need modern heroes - Robert Ballard is real........2003-12-01
Robert Ballard is one of the few genuine adventurer - hero models available to young people of the 21st Century. He is is incapable of being boring. He's somehow interesting even when he's talking about a can of paint. He has manifold unquestioned achievements, both scientific and spectacular in the public eye. His flair for photography and for commissioning or selecting exciting paintings of underwater scenes is unparalleled. His feeling for developing memorable themes, in this case lost ships, is gripping for both adults who allow their imaginations to seized by large events effectively told, as well as children.
At times one hears unjustified carping from scientists at Ballard's role as a popularizer. At others, not unreasonable arguments are raised that some of his books don't offer enough credit to others. I have known Ballard from the time of his PhD dissertation at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and onwards. I prefer to interpret Ballard's telling of major stories with simplifications as part of his ability to reach and affect large audiences, including young people who have become one of his major targets and goals in later life. Kids simply don't have the life experience and maturity to weigh all nuances of complex phenomena like scientific and exploration discovery.
Ballard has made extraordinary efforts with his Jason outreach programs to enliven science education for school children, facilitating realtime "exploration" opportunities to hundreds of thousands of young people. Ballard has a sense of personal ethics (refreshing in a "me" generation), being reluctant, for example, to allow souvenirs to be retrieved from the Titanic and other wrecks. Even though one can argue scientific and other value for such retrieval, I attribute to him sense of purpose and principle along with other unusual qualities as a person and author.
A look at lost liners you never even knew about.......2003-02-14
I accidentally ordered this children's book from my son's school book fair, but I really love it. I wanted the book Lost Liners also by Bob Ballard. The paintings in Ghost Liners are wonderful and the narrative is interesting and also sad at times. I didn't even know about many of the other sea disasters. My son did read the book, but I'm the one who enjoyed it the most. The haunting illustrations are, themselves, worth the price of the book.
Pretty Good Little Book.......2000-03-23
This was a pretty good little book for the money. However, it was largely a slimmed-down version of Lost Liners, which I highly recommend. Some new pictures were featured, but much of it was rehash.
Great pictures and text.......1999-11-20
Awesome pictures! Ken Marschall did a wonderful job with the illustrations, and the photographs were nice, too. The text explained clealy what had happened to each ship, and the controversy about some of them. I really learned something from this book.
Customer Reviews:
Start here!.......2007-09-29
If you are new to choose your own adventure, I recommend starting with
these 4. They are the first in the new series, and are all individual
books. I am pretty sure they are all reprints, and the art is definitely
new, but they are a great place to start as they cover a wide range of
topics. The bottom line is kids will eat these books up, not just because
they are about great topics, with fun art and very well written but
because they get to choose. They get to pick where they go, what they do,
and all they while they are reading. A warning though, buy this box set
and you might have to by the next.
A classic collection returned.......2007-07-10
Choose Your Own Adventure collections have always been a part of the series, and carrying on that tradition is this collection of the first four books in the newly republished series.
If this is your first trip into CYOA, or are a long time fan coming back, this is collection has a lot to offer. The first four are a nice mix of adventure, mystery, and sci-fi and you get a good feel for the writing of author R.A. Montgomery. The stories have been updated for the times, which is to say the "You" character now has cell phones, GPS and the like. The art has also been redone, but continues to be of excellent quality and pertinent to the choices. Those choices, however, are still the same. They are yours.
There are also collection of 5-8 and 8-12. Six book collections are available as well, but if you are looking to get a started in choosing your own adventure, this collection is a great way to start.
Finally, on a personal note, its great to see the series back!
Warning: These are NOT the original books.......2007-04-21
Don't buy this set expecting a reprinting of the original 1978-1982 Choose Your Own Adventure books. The text has been revised, though the revisions are serviceable enough; but what's worse is that all of the illustrations have been replaced with hideously bad cartoons. Words cannot even express how amateurish and badly drawn these cartoons are, with no sense of proportion, anatomy, lighting, or composition; some appear smudged or to have eraser marks on them, and others have no relevance to the text they are accompanying. And since they're on nearly every page, it's impossible to ignore them.
The exception is The Abominable Snowman, where the pictures are of much better quality (though still not exactly compelling--it seems that the illustrators only read the first two sentences of each page before illustrating it, so that an ending in which the protagonist is killed by a tiger is illustrated by a picture of him slapping mosquitos, for example, because that's what he was doing in the first sentence of the passage.)
Buy used copies of the original books, or choose something else to read. "The Abominable Snowman" is the only one of the set I intend to keep.
Book Description
By the winner of the Hugo, the Nebula, and the World Fantasy Life Achievement Awards, this latest volume finds Theodore Sturgeon in fine form as he gains recognition for the first time as a literary short story writer. Written between 1957 and 1960, when Sturgeon and his family lived in both America and Grenada, finally settling in Woodstock, New York, these stories reflect his increasing preference for psychology over ray guns. Stories such as "The Man Who Told Lies," "A Touch of Strange," and "It Opens the Sky" show influences as diverse as William Faulkner and John Dos Passos. Always in touch with the zeitgeist, Sturgeon takes on the Russian Sputnik launches of 1957 with "The Man Who Lost the Sea," switching the scene to Mars and injecting his trademark mordancy and vivid wordplay into the proceedings. These mature stories also don't stint on the scares, as "The Graveyard Reader"—one of Boris Karloff's favorite stories—shows. Acclaimed novelist Jonathan Lethem's foreword neatly summarizes Sturgeon's considerable achievement here.
Customer Reviews:
One of the Best Writers Ever........2006-11-06
Many years ago I read the story "Killdozer" in an anthology book of some sort, and never forgot the story. I didn't know anything about the author, and had no idea that he wrote many more stories beyond the one I had had the opportunity to read. Then I stumbled across this series of books in Amazon, bought one, read it, loved it, and now have all ten volumes in my collection.
So here's my verdict: Theodore Sturgeon was not just one of the best writers of Science Fiction; he wasn't just one of the best writers of short stories. He was, one of the best writers ever, period. While the stories are cloaked in the veneer of science fiction, they are in fact, stories of deep insight into the human condition. You cannot read these volumes and not be touched, moved, and inspired. Don't miss the opportunity to read some of these wonderful stories. And if you're truly inspired, get the short novel More Than Human.
The next volume has been announced.......2006-09-06
It's Sept 2006, and I just spotted the following listed on the Locus site, scheduled for June 2007 release. I suppose this is good news, though it means I'm going to have to buy another bookcase.
Sturgeon, Theodore * When You Care, When You Love: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, Volume XI * (North Atlantic, cln, hc)
Wonderful collection.......2005-05-26
This latest volume is again an excellent addition to the series. I just wish we would be able to find out what's going on with the rest of the books: this was originally supposed to be a ten volume collection but since this latest volume only goes through 1960, there is clearly more material to be collected. Some of the volumes are of shorter length then others, which also puzzles me. Material isn't being left out to keep down the page count?
In any case, stories like "The Graveyard Reader" show the sensitivity and skill that only a master like Sturgeon can convey in a short story. If you're already a fan, you know this; if not, buy the book. Sturgeon truly was one of the finest American short story writers ever.
Books:
- Showdown
- Silent No More: Confronting America's False Images of Islam
- Simon Says (SBC Fighters, Book 2)
- Specter of the Past (Star Wars)
- The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible REALLY Says About the End Times . . . and Why It Matters Today
- The Cat Who Went Up the Creek
- The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries (P.S.)
- The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet: Boost metabolism, get rid of fattening toxins, safely lose up to 8 pounds overnight and keep them off for good
- The Glory of the Atonement: Biblical, Historical & Practical Perspectives : Essays in Honor of Roger R. Nicole
- The Great Flood of 1937: Rising Waters, Soaring Spirits
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- Structure and Retention in Chromatography: A Chemometric Approach
- Towns of the Sandia Mountains
- Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum
- Cell of Cells: The Global Race to Capture and Control the Stem Cell
- Ava's Man
- The Business Side of Creativity: The Complete Guide to Running a Small Graphic Design or Communicati
- The Shredding of Families
- Jan Plesman, a Flying Dutchman
Indonesia
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
The Few
Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy
