Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

The world's war : forgotten soldiers of empire /David Olusoga. "The story of how Europe's Great War became the World's War - a multi-racial, multi-national struggle fought in Africa and Asia as well as in Europe, which pulled men and resources from across the globe. As vivid and moving as it is revelatory and authoritative, The World's War explores the experiences and sacrifices of 4 million non-European, non-white people whose stories have remained too long in the shadows."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.412

French armoured cruisers, 1887-1932 / John Jordan & Philippe Caresse. ''Of all the threats faced by the Royal Navy during the first years of the twentieth century, the one which stood out was the risk to Britains sea lines of communication posed by France s armoured cruisers. Fast, well-armed and well-protected, these ships could have evaded any attempted blockade of the French ports and, supported by a worldwide network of overseas bases, could potentially have caused havoc on the trade routes. Between 1898 and 1901 the French laid down thirteen ships, and completed nine in 1903 4 alone. This book has as its subject the French armoured cruisers built from the late 1880s until shortly before the outbreak of the Great War, beginning with the revolutionary Dupuy-de-Lãome, the worlds first modern armoured cruiser, and ending with the impressive six-funnelled Edgar Quinet and Waldeck-Rousseau. The primary focus of the book is on the technical characteristics of the ships. Detailed and labelled drawings based on the official plans are provided by John Jordan, and each individual class of ship is illustrated by photographs from the extensive personal collection of Philippe Caresse. The technical section is followed by a history in two parts, covering the Great War (1914-18) and the postwar years, during which the surviving ships saw extensive deployment as station cruisers overseas and as training ships. This is the most comprehensive account published in English or in French, and is destined be the standard reference for many years to come.''--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.8253094409041

The last journey of the San Bao Eunuch, Admiral Zheng He / Sheng-Wei Wang. "From 1405, in order to maintain and expand the Ming Dynasty's tributary system, Yongle Emperor Zhu Di (reigning 1402-1424) and Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji (reigning 1425-1435) ordered eunuch Zheng He to lead giant fleets across the seas. But soon after Zheng He's seventh and last voyage in the 1430s, the Ming emperors put an end to this activity and ordered all records of previous voyages to be destroyed. Chinese writer Luo Maodeng, knowing the history of some of these voyages, wished to preserve a record of them, but, conscious of the possible penalty, decided to record the facts "under a veil", in his 1597 novel, An Account of the Western World Voyage of the San Bao Eunuch. This is what Dr. Sheng-Wei Wang has concluded after reading and analysing Luo's novel. Her book, The last journey of the San Bao Eunuch, Admiral Zheng He, shows the methodology and evidential arguments by which she has sought to lift the veil and the conclusions she suggests, including the derivation of the complete trans-Atlantic navigational routes and timelines of that last journey and the idea that Zheng He's last expedition plausibly reached the ancient American Indian city, Cahokia, in the U.S. central Mississippi Valley in late autumn, 1433, long before Christopher Columbus set foot for the first time in the Americas. She supports the hotly debated view that Ming Chinese sailors and ships reached farther than previously accepted in modern times and calls for further research. She hopes this book will become an important step in bridging the gap in our understanding of ancient China-America history in the era before the Age of Discovery. An interesting contribution to an ongoing debate."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Homecoming : voices of the Windrush generation /Colin Grant. "Homecoming draws on over a hundred first-hand interviews, archival recordings and memoirs by the women and men who came to Britain from the West Indies between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. In their own words, we witness the transition from the optimism of the first post-war arrivals to the race riots of the late 1950s. We hear from nurses in Manchester; bus drivers in Bristol; seamstresses in Birmingham; teachers in Croydon; dockers in Cardiff; inter-racial lovers in High Wycombe, and Carnival Queens in Leeds. These are stories of hope and regret, of triumphs and challenges, brimming with humour, anger and wisdom. Together, they reveal a rich tapestry of Caribbean British lives."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 305.8969729041

Insurgent empire : anticolonial resistance and British dissent /Priyamvada Gopal. "Insurgent Empire shows how Britain's enslaved and colonial subjects were active agents in their own liberation. Not only that, they shaped British ideas of freedom and emancipation back in the United Kingdom. Priyamvada Gopal examines dissenting politics in Britain and shows that it was influenced by rebellions and resistance among the colonies in the West Indies, East Africa, Egypt, and India. In addition, a pivotal role in fomenting resistance was played by anticolonial campaigners based in London, right at the heart of empire. Much has been written on how colonized peoples took up British and European ideas and turned them against empire when making claims to freedom and self-determination. Insurgent Empire sets the record straight in demonstrating that these people were much more than victims of imperialism or, subsequently, the passive beneficiaries of an enlightened Western conscience - they were insurgents whose legacy today benefits the culture of the nation that once oppressed them"--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 325/.341

The masculine marine : homoeroticism in the U.S. Marine Corps /Steven Zeeland. "In The Masculine Marine, author Steven Zeeland records, for the first time ever, what active-duty Marines have to say about what it means to be a man, to be a Marine, and to desire other men. As the foremost surviving icon of traditional masculinity, Marines are often considered the opposite of 'gay'. Yet in contemporary gay culture, Marines are stereotyped as likely to play the passive role in sexual encounters with other men. By vividly illustrating some of the startling ways in which gay and Marine attributes can coincide, The Masculine Marine uncovers the wild sexual contradictions built into military hypermasculinity. From ordinary grunts to a major who flies a combat jet, Zeeland's Marine interviewees provide thoughtful and articulate insight into aspects of this rarely documented culture, including: homoerotic bonding among Marines; how gay Marines reconcile their sexual identity with the ethos of 'hard' Marine supermasculinity; how some Marines eroticize the pain and humiliation of Marine Corps boot camp; Marines in all-male pornography male attitudes toward women in the Marine Corps; hazing and institutional violence. These Marines talk candidly about what motivated them to join the United States' most elite fighting force, and they reveal how becoming Marines has shaped their sexual and gender identities. For the student of gay or military studies or anyone sexually intrigued by men in uniform, The Masculine Marine must reading."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 306.76/6/088355

Making marvels : science and splendour at the courts of Europe /edited by Wolfram Koeppe. "Innovation, technology, and spectacle combine in wondrous works of decorative art and furniture that embody the splendor and luxury of the royal courts of Europe. At once beautiful works of art and technological wonders, the objects featured in Making Marvels demonstrate how European royalty from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment signaled their status through their collections of ingeniously crafted inventions. Featuring 150 exemplary objects ranging from mechanical toys to scientific instruments, timepieces to automata, this groundbreaking study brings to life a glorious period when luxury, a quest for knowledge, scientific invention, and political power combined to produce remarkable works of art. More than frivolous playthings, these works inspired technical innovations that influenced a broad spectrum of activities, including astronomy, engineering, and artisanal craftsmanship. This remarkable volume explores works in a wide range of materials, including precious metals, gemstones, pietra dura, marble, ivory, wood, bone, shell, glass, and paper. The book's compelling essays address the layered historical context in which these objects were fashioned and gathered into cabinets of wonder at courts throughout Europe; elucidate their complex blending of art and science; and provide fascinating details about the patrons who commissioned them and the specialists who made them."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • FOLIO • 2 copies available.

The sun : one thousand years of scientific imagery /Katy Barrett and Harry Cliff. "Dazzling, beautiful, powerful, mysterious - the Sun has fascinated people throghout history. This book charts our changing understanding of the Sun through a rich collection of scientific imagery: from a 10th-century manuscript drawing of an Earth-centred universe, to awe-inspiring close-ups of our turbulent star taken by orbiting spacecraft. Each image tells a story of evolving knowledge and techniques as well as the personal dedication of the theologians, artists and astronomers who made them."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • BOOK • 2 copies available. 523.7

Grand fleet destroyers : Part I : flotilla leaders and 'V/W' class destroyers /John English. "This book describes the design, development and careers of two distinct groups of vessels, the destroyer leaders and the 'V/W' class destroyers, which were originally designed as leaders. The majority of the 93 vessels described in this volume were to have long careers, covering both World Wars. The 'V/W's only had limited fleet service in the last year of WW1 and an extensive programme of conversion into anti-aircraft escorts had been initiated pre-war, but was terminated early because of the need to have as many escorts as possible at sea. Later, with the greater availability of escorts, especially corvettes and ex-US destroyers, a programme was initiated to improve the A/S armament, AA armament and, especially, the range of the surviving 'V/W' destroyers. There were some losses during WW1 and in the Baltic 1918-20, but severe losses during WW 2. The early leaders, the 'Marksman's, were, except ABDIEL, quickly disposed of, but the 'Scott' and 'Shakespeare' leaders were operational for most of the 1920s and 1930s and survivors operated as escorts during WW 2. The 'Shakespeare's were the basis of the design of the leaders to the 'A/I' classes built 1929-1937. The 'V/W's themselves were the basis of the destroyers of the 'A' to 'I' classes and many destroyers built for foreign navies during the 1930s."--Provided by the publisher. 2019 • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Ships, clocks & stars : the quest for Longitude /Richard Dunn & Rebekah Higgitt "300 years ago, amidst growing frustration from the naval community and pressure from the increasing importance of international trade, the British government passed the 1714 Longitude Act. It was an attempt to solve one of the most pressing problems of the age: how to determine a ship's longitude (east-west position) at sea. With life-changing rewards on offer, the challenge captured the imaginations and talents of astronomers, skilled craftsmen, politicians, seamen and satirists. Published by HarperCollins, in association with the National Maritime Museum, Ships, Clocks & Stars: The Quest for Longitude explores the history of the Longitude problem, the people involved and how its solution changed our understanding of the world forever."--Provided by the publisher. 2014 • BOOK • 2 copies available. 528.282

Neptune's laboratory : fantasy, fear, and science at sea /Antony Adler. ''We have long been fascinated with the oceans, seeking ''to pierce the profundity'' of their depths. In studying the history of marine science, we also learn about ourselves. Neptune's Laboratory explores the ways in which scientists, politicians, and the public have invoked ocean environments in imagining the fate of humanity and of the planet -conjuring ideal- world fantasies alongside fears of our species' weakness and ultimate demise. Oceans gained new prominence in the public imagination in the early nineteenth century as scientists plumbed the depths and marine fisheries were industrialized. Concerns that fish stocks could be exhausted soon emerged. In Europe these fears gave rise to internationalist aspirations, as scientists sought to conduct research on an oceanwide scale and nations worked together to protect their fisheries. The internationalist program for marine research waned during World War I, only to be revived in the interwar period and again in the 1960s. During the Cold War, oceans were variously recast as battlefields, post-apocalyptic living spaces, and utopian frontiers. The ocean today has become a site of continuous observation and experiment, as probes ride the ocean currents and autonomous and remotely operated vehicles peer into the abyss. Embracing our fears, fantasies, and scientific investigations, Antony Adler tells the story of our relationship with the seas.''--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 551.46

"Dann sprang er èuber Bord" : Alltagspsychologie und psychische Erkrankung an Bord britischer Schiffe im 19. Jahrhundert /Karl-Heinz Reger. "Our fascination with big sailing ships is unbroken. In the extensive social-historical literature of naval history the question of how everyday life on board was psychologically experienced is totally uncharted, so is the description of psychological diseases. On the contrary, it must be assumed that a variety of psychological disorders occurred among the mostly young crew members of the sometimes completely closed system 'ship'. The ship was 'world' for the men on board. Karl-Heinz Reger systematically examines the medical journals of the Royal Navy from the time between 1830 and 1880. Due to the double access of the psychiatrist and the historian a large number of phenomena are illustrated. After studying everyday life on board from a psychological point of view the author shows the various disorders including the phenomena of drowning and suicide. All illnesses known in modern neuro-psychiatry are to be found. Not only are 120 cases with exemplary transcriptions of the stylistically excellent English original text presented, but also all therapeutical efforts are described and the complete list of all medicines (including annotations) used on board is given. A psychoanalytical interpretation of the psychological strain and its techniques of compensation forms the final chapter."--Provided by the publisher. c2014. • BOOK • 1 copy available. txt

Oceania / edited by Peter Brunt and Nicholas Thomas. "Encompassing thousands of islands from the remote shores of Rapa Nui to the dense rainforest of Papua New Guinea, Oceania is one of the world's most extraordinary and diverse regions. This book, accompanying the spectacular exhibition at the Royal Academy opening this September, showcases Oceanic art and the subsequent migrations of people, cultures and objects from the Pacific around the world, from the unrivalled navigational feats of the first settlers who traversed the open ocean in wooden canoes to the explorations of Captain Cook 250 years ago. Bringing together the most up-to-date scholarship by experts in the field, this book presents Oceania through the eyes of its own people - artists, poets and photographers - who explore the legacy of the past and the future of a world and way of life threatened by a changing climate."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 7(9)

Dante and the early astronomer : science, adventure, and a Victorian woman who opened the heavens /Tracy Daugherty. "In 1910, Mary Acworth Evershed (1867-1949) sat on a hill in southern India staring at the moon as she grappled with apparent mistakes in Dante's Divine Comedy. Was Dante's astronomy unintelligible? Or was he, for a man of his time and place, as insightful as one could be about the sky? As the twentieth century began, women who wished to become professional astronomers faced difficult cultural barriers, but Evershed joined the British Astronomical Association and, from an Indian observatory, became an experienced observer of sunspots, solar eclipses, and variable stars. From the perspective of one remarkable amateur astronomer, readers will see how ideas developed during Galileo's time evolved or were discarded in Newtonian conceptions of the cosmos and recast in Einstein's theories. The result is a book about the history of science but also a poetic meditation on literature, science, and the evolution of ideas."--Provided by the publisher 2019 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92EVERSHED

The Moon : a celebration of our celestial neighbour /edited by Melanie Vandenbrouck, Megan Barford, Louise Devoy, Richard Dunn "Marking the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's 'small step' this beautiful book explores people's fascination with our only natural satellite. Published to coincide with Royal Museums Greenwich's exhibition The Moon, immerse yourself in contemporary essays and fascinating images wrapped in a sleek design. Edited by the exhibition's curators, Melanie Vandenbrouck, Megan Barford, Louise Devoy and Richard Dunn, this book illuminates how art and science meet in our profound connection with the Moon. It features authors from a variety of disciplines, including cultural historians, curators, a scientist, a poet and a space law expert among others. Divided into four sections, the first, A Constant Companion, explores why we started to observe the Moon. Through the Lens reveals advancements in technology for observing details not visible with a naked eye. 50 years after man set foot on the moon, Destination Moon explores how the moon was represented before humankind's first landing. The final section For All Mankind? reflects on how our relationship with our closest cosmic companion continues to evolve."--Provided by the publisher 2019 • BOOK • 2 copies available. 523.3

Anything but a cruise! : a tale of life at sea in the British Merchant Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (1949 -1991) /by Captain John D. Roddis "This book provides a light-hearted overview of the author's career both in the British Merchant Navy and then the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Starting as a deck officer apprentice on a tramp steamer in 1949, progressing to Tank Landing Ships (LST's) managed by the Atlantic Steam Navigation Co. and then British India Steam Navigation Co., before transferring with these ships to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) in 1970. He then served with the RFA for two further decades. This book provides an interesting and varied scenario of the author's life at sea in an era of change from 1949 until his retirement in 1991."--Back cover 2019. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 92RODDIS

The Royal Navy in the Napoleonic age : senior service, 1800-1815 /Mark Jessop. "In 1801 the newly forged United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland commenced life at war with France and her allies and remained so until 1815. After 1812 she had to shoulder the extra burden of a war against the United States of America. With conflict on multiple fronts, hardships continued to be inflicted at home. Trade was made precarious. People became bone-weary of hostilities and the threat of invasion ran high. Napoleon Bonaparte was no ordinary opponent, and the United States navy showed the world the worth of her ships, but what stood in their way was the Royal Navy. Despite notable losses, after the victory of Trafalgar in 1805 she dominated the seas. Although not the only means, her warships were the nation's first line of defence that helped keep British shores safe. As the era ended it was obvious the navy had to change. Steam began to alter perspectives with new opportunities. From the vantage point of later decades it could be seen what the Royal Navy had once been and still was. A naval superpower. Britain's oldest continual military force. The senior service."--Provided by the publisher. 24 cm • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.2745

Great passenger ships that never were : damned by destiny revisited /David L. Williams and Richard P. de Kerbrech "GREAT PASSENGER SHIPS THAT NEVER WERE is a completely revised and updated version of Damned by Destiny (Teredo Books, 1982), a comprehensive account of the large passenger ships that, for one reason or another, never entered commercial service. Some never made it off the drawing board or out of the model shop, some met with disaster after launch and some were diverted to wartime service but didn't survive, never used for their original purpose. They were all the victims of circumstance, whether due to financial crises, timing or changing technology. Some of these liners and cruise vessels may have become the greatest passenger ships ever achieved. They would have surpassed the most famous, not only in speed and splendour but in size and appearance, besides setting trends that were subsequently adopted for ships that did enter service. With beautiful pictures and detailed diagrams this book is a true insight into what might have been."--Provided by the publisher 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 629.123.3

Admiral Albert Hastings Markham / Frank Jastrzembski. "Few men have lived such an extraordinary life as Admiral Albert Hastings Markham. Besides dedicating five decades of his career to the Royal Navy, Markham was a voracious reader, prolific writer, keen naturalist, and daring explorer. He battled Chinese pirates during the Second Opium War and Taiping Rebellion; chased down Australian blackbirding ships in the South Pacific; trekked to within 400 miles of the North Pole; hunted buffalo and visited Indian reservations in the United States; observed a bloody war in South America; canoed Canada's remote Hayes River; and explored the icy waters of Baffin Bay and the Arctic Ocean archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. At the time of his death in 1918, The Globe declared that Markham's passing removed from society 'one of the most arresting figures of his time'. While Markham's life was filled with adventure, it was also marred by tragedy. Regrettably, Markham is best remembered for his role in the sinking of HMS Victoria in 1893. This one incident has tarnished his legacy until now. This book follows Markham on his nineteenth-century tales of adventure and misfortune and reassess the life of this forgotten admiral."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92MARKHAM

Endless novelties of extraordinary interest : the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger and the birth of modern oceanography /Doug Macdougall. A gripping tale of exploration aboard H.M.S. Challenger, an expedition that laid the foundations for modern oceanography. From late 1872 to 1876, H.M.S. Challenger explored the world's oceans. Conducting deep sea soundings, dredging the ocean floor, recording temperatures, observing weather, and collecting biological samples, the expedition laid the foundations for modern oceanography. Following the ship's naturalists and their discoveries, earth scientist Doug Macdougall engagingly tells a story of Victorian-era adventure and ties these early explorations to the growth of modern scientific fields. In this lively story of discovery, hardship, and humour, Macdougall examines the work of the expedition's scientists, especially the naturalist Henry Moseley, who rigorously categorized the flora and fauna of the islands the ship visited, and the legacy of John Murray, considered the father of modern oceanography. Macdougall explores not just the expedition itself but also the iconic place that H.M.S. Challenger has achieved in the annals of ocean exploration and science. [2019] • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(100)"1872/1876"

The letters of Henry Martyn : East India Company chaplain /edited by Scot D. Ayler. ''Henry Martyn (1781-1812) was one of the most significant British foreign missionaries of the nineteenth century. An Anglican Evangelical, active in India and Persia, he translated the New Testament into Urdu and Persian, pioneered engagement between Protestant Christianity and Islam, and inspired a generation of British and American evangelical missionary efforts. He is a central figure for the history of the East India Company and its relationship to the missionary movement. This book provides a fully annotated transcription of all Martyn's surviving 327 letters, together with a very substantial introduction covering Martyn's biography, missiology and churchmanship, circle of correspondents, philological contribution, and experience in India and Persia. The letters themselves are rich in detail about East India Company governance in India and the importance of the religious issue at the highest levels. The book will be of great interest to historians of India and the East India Company, historians of Anglo-Persian relations and of Evangelical Anglicanism and the broader Protestant missionary movement, and those interested in the emergence and shape of modern Christian-Islamic discourse.''--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 954.031

Wales and the sea : 10,000 years of Welsh maritime history/edited by Mark Redknap, Sian Rees and Alan Aberg. "Comprehensively illustrated, Wales and the Sea tells the story of prehistoric, Roman, medieval and more recent maritime history. It evokes the impact of the sea on the imagination and historical experience through coastal maps, naval paintings, seascapes, poetry, songs and popular seaside souvenirs. Archive photographs from the National Monuments Record of Wales, the National Library of Wales and National Museum of Wales bring life the age of the ocean-going liner, the cable-laying ships that connected Wales to the rest of the world, fishing boats, pleasure steamers, racing yachts and seaside piers, as well as the busy docks that supplied Welsh slate, coal, iron and steel to the rest of the world."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 2 copies available. 900

Caribbean New Orleans : empire, race, and the making of a slave society /Câecile Vidal. "Combining Atlantic and imperial perspectives, Caribbean New Orleans offers a lively portrait of the city and a probing investigation of the French colonists who established racial slavery there as well as the African slaves who were forced to toil for them. Casting early New Orleans as a Caribbean outpost of the French Empire rather than as a North American frontier town, Cecile Vidal reveals the persistent influence of the Antilles, especially Saint-Domingue, which shaped the city's development through the eighteenth century. In so doing, she urges us to rethink our usual divisions of racial systems into mainland and Caribbean categories. Drawing on New Orleans' rich court records as a way to capture the words and actions of its inhabitants, Vidal takes us into the city's streets, market, taverns, church, hospitals, barracks, and households. She explores the challenges that slow economic development, Native American proximity, imperial rivalry, and the urban environment posed to a social order that was predicated on slave labor and racial hierarchy. White domination, Vidal demonstrates, was woven into the fabric of New Orleans from its founding. This comprehensive history of urban slavery locates Louisiana's capital on a spectrum of slave societies that stretched across the Americas and provides a magisterial overview of racial discourses and practices during the formative years of North America's most intriguing city."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 306.3/620976335

'I will not be erased' : our stories about growing up as people of colour /gal-dem. "Our stories. About identity. About sexuality. About family. About love. About power. About growing up as people of colour. Gal-dem, the award-winning online and print magazine, is created by women and non-binary people of colour. In this collection, gal-dem writers share their joyous, funny and life-affirming stories about growing up."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 305.235208996

Explore our Collection