Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

An empire on the edge : how Britain came to fight America /Nick Bunker. A British-perspective chronicle of the Boston Tea Party and other events that led up to the American Revolution traces three years of volatile politics, personalities and economics on both sides of the conflict. 2014. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 973.3

Oriental visions : exhibitions, travel, and collecting in the Victorian age /Nicky Levell. "A richly illustrated and unique contribution to the fields of critical museology, the history of collecting, and cultural studies, in general. Through the biography of Frederick John Horniman (1835-1906), a Victorian traveller, collector, and Museum founder, this work critically reconstructs and explores the dynamic cultural network of individuals and institutions; touristic and collecting practices; textual and exhibitionary media, which interacted and generated images of the exotic Orient. Starting in the leafy suburbs of south London, this study begins by examining the afterlife of the world renowned Crystal Palace, which had housed the world's first Great Exhibition. Following its move from Hyde Park to Sydenham in the mid-1850s, this immense glass structure soon became a popular tourist destination, attracting more than a million visitors every year and transforming its once isolated rural surrounds into fashionable residential areas. Levell specifically focuses on the powerful, though selective, representations of the distant Orient at the People's Palace, which enchanted Victorian sightseers, artists, collectors, and travellers. She then looks in detail at the spectacular displays of the British Empire's 'Eastern Possessions' at the hugely popular Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 in South Kensington. Together these two exhibitionary complexes, with their visually striking images of the Orient, guided Frederick Horniman's travels and also influenced the type of material that he acquired for his private Museum, which was located in Forest Hill, a short distance from the Crystal Palace. From exhibitions and collections, this monograph then moves on to explore travel and collecting. Drawing on the journal that Frederick Horniman kept during his world tours, a fascinating and richly illustrated account is given of the Victorian tourist's travels in India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Japan, China, Burma (Union of Myanmar), and Egypt, describing the places he visited, the peoples he encountered, and the objects he collected. Finally, attention is turned to the extensive oriental collections, which were assembled by Horniman over a forty-year period, and placed on public display in his twenty-four room Museum. In their museal setting, these exhibits, which had been acquired from dealers, auction houses, international exhibitions, missionaries, travellers, and colonial officials, both at home and abroad, conjured up striking and alluring visions of the Orient."--Provided by the publisher. 2000. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 7.074"18/19"

The United States Merchant Marine in World War I : ships, crews, shipbuilders and operators /Greg H. Williams. "During World War I, the American Merchant Marine meant dangerous duty. Sailors on cargo ships faced the daily threat of enemy submarines, along with the usual hazards of life at sea, and help was rarely close enough for swift rescues. Pre-war shipping in America depended mainly on foreign vessels, but with the outbreak of war these were no longer available. Construction began quickly on new ships, most of which were not completed until long after the end of the war. Drawing on contemporary newspapers, magazines and trade publications, and Shipping Board, Department of Commerce and Coast Guard records, this book provides the first complete overview of the American Merchant Marine during World War I. Detailed accounts cover the expansion of trans-Atlantic shipping, shipbuilding records 1914-1918, operating companies, ship losses from enemy action, the role of the Naval Overseas Transportation Service and mariner experiences."--Provided by the publisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.45:656.61(73)

Crisis at sea : the United States Navy in European waters in World War I /William N. Still, Jr. ; foreword by James C. Bradford and Gene A. Smith. "Crisis at Sea is the first comprehensive history of the United States Navy in European waters during World War I. Drawing on vast American, British, German, French, and Italian sources, the author presents the U.S. Naval experience as America moved into the modern age of naval warfare. Not limited to an operations account of naval battles and strategies, this volume - the second in a series - examines diplomatic policies, cabinet decisions, logistics, the home front, support systems, and shipbuilding to illustrate the complexity and enormity of America's naval participation in World War I." "This is a thorough treatment of not only the events but also the personalities of the war, with particular attention paid to the difficulties they faced. The book reveals insights into the United States' relations in the world, the nation's unpreparedness for such a war, the limits imposed on the Navy by the cabinet, and the unexpected conclusion to the war. Much of the author's exhaustive research is new, such as the use of French official documents and British recollections of the American ships and sailors. This book will be the standard reference volume for libraries and serious scholars with a special interest in World War I and in the history of warfare."--Provided by the publisher. 2006. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.353(73)"1914/1918"

The darksome bounds of a failing world : the sinking of the "Titanic" and the end of the Edwardian era /Gareth Russell. "When the ship of dreams sank, so did the Edwardian era. In this original and meticulously-researched narrative history, Gareth Russell considers the real story of the Titanic, and the seismic shift of modernity the 1910s have come to mark in the West. Had she survived her first voyage, The Titanic probably would have dated like other ocean liners. Instead, within a week of setting sail on 10th April 1912, the disaster of her sinking had turned her into one of the biggest news stories of the century. Writing in his signature prose, Gareth Russell peers through the portholes of six first-class travellers to immerse us into the Edwardian era while demonstrating how modernity shook up the class system of the age. Lucy Leslie, Countess of Rothes; 'son' of the British Empire, Tommy Andrews; captain of the industry John Thayer and his son Jack; Jewish immigrant Ida Straus; and model and movie star Dorothy Gibson. Each subject?s unique story offers insights into the established hierarchy during the fin de siáecle of pre-war Britain and America, the Titanic's respective spiritual and economic homelands. Through these entwining lives, Russell investigates social class - its mores, its foibles, its accents, its etiquette, its benefits, its casual or intentional cruelties, its potential nobility. Those nuances also invite analyses of the shipping trade, the birth of the movie industry, the aristocracy, the American Gilded Age, the Irish Home Rule crisis, and Jewish-American communities. The Titanic is the vessel in which we can extrapolate lessons on hubris, folly, greed, love, class, magnificent courage and pitiable weakness. She carried thousands of people and, in that way, she still has thousands of stories to tell. Drawing on brand new and unpublished materials, journal entries and film archives from the time, The Darksome Bounds of a Failing World focuses on the symbolism of the Titanic as the floating symbol of Anglo-American success, its clientele an apt illustration of the limitless - technological, financial - possibilities of its time."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 656.61.085.3TITANIC

Far distant ships : the blockade of Brest 1793-1815 /Quintin Barry "Throughout the long drawn out war at sea during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, it was a cardinal principle of British naval strategy to blockade the port of Brest, the largest and most important of the French naval bases that threatened the security of the British Isles. It was a strategy that had been perfected by Sir Edward Hawke during the Seven Years War of 1756 - 1763, when it culminated in the stunning victory of Quiberon Bay. The American naval historian A.T. Mahan memorably summed up the contribution of the Royal Navy to the ultimate defeat of Napoleon when he wrote: 'Those far distant, storm-beaten ships, upon which the Grand Army never looked, stood between it and the domination of the world.' There were many aspects to the blockade of Brest, but always at its centre was the need to frustrate French attempts at the invasion of Britain or Ireland. Most famous of these, of course, was Napoleon's intricate combination that led to the campaign of Trafalgar, in the course of which his invasion plans disintegrated. But there were many other offensive moves which it was the blockading fleet's duty to prevent. Inevitably, there were great sea battles when the French ventured out, though fewer than might have been expected. For many months at a time the British fleet was at sea off Brest facing the considerable dangers of wind and weather without encountering its adversary. There were many remarkable leaders who came to the fore during the long years of war; Howe, Bridport, St Vincent, Cornwallis and Keith were among those who led the Channel Fleet. Nelson described his captains as a 'band of brothers', but this was by no means a description that could be applied to the quarrelsome, self willed and argumentative group of men who held the destiny of the Royal Navy in their hands, whether at sea or around the boardroom table at the Admiralty. Drawing on the official and personal correspondence of those involved, this book traces the development of British naval strategy, as well as describing the crucial encounters between the rival fleets and the single ship actions which provided the press with a constant flow of news stories for its readers."--Provided by the publisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.463.3(42:44)"1793/1815"

Nelson's Arctic voyage : the Royal Navy's first polar expedition 1773 /Peter Goodwin. "In the summer of 1773 the 14-year old Horatio Nelson took part in an expedition to the Arctic, which came close to ending his naval career before it had begun. The expedition was to find a navigable northern passage between the Atlantic and Pacific, and was supported by the Royal Society and King George III. Two bomb vessels HMS Racehorse and Carcass were fitted out and strengthened under the command of Captain Hon. Constantine Phipps. It was an extremely cold Arctic summer and the ships became locked in ice far from Spitzbergen and were unable to cut their way out until days later when the wind changed and the ice broke up. The ships were extricated and returned home. On the trip, the young Nelson had command of one of the smaller boats of the ships, a four-oared cutter manned by twelve seamen. In this he helped to save the crew of a boat belonging to the Racehorse from an attack by a herd of enraged walruses. He also had a more famous encounter with a polar bear, while attempting to obtain a bearskin as a present for his father, an exploit that later became part of the Nelson legend. Drawing on the ship's journals and expedition commander Phipps' journal from the National Archives, the book creates a picture of the expedition and life on board. Using the ships' muster books it also details the ship's crews giving the different roles and ranks in the ships. The book is illustrated using some of the ship's drawings and charts and pictures of many objects used on the ship, while a navigational chart of the route taken has been created from the logbooks. The book also looks at the overall concept of naval exploration as set in train by Joseph Banks and the Royal Society. The fact that the expedition failed as a result of poor planning with potentially tragic results demonstrates the difficulties and uncertainties of such an expedition. It also looks at a great naval commander at the earliest stage of his career and considers how the experience might have shaped his later career and attitudes. Other great captains and voyages are discussed alongside Nelson, including Captain Cook and his exploration of the south seas and the later ill-fated northern journeys of Franklin and Shackleton."--Provided by the publisher 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(98)

Theater of the world : the maps that made history /by Thomas Reinertsen Berg ; translated from the Norwegian by Alison McCullough. "What is a map? How have people been drawing the world throughout history? What do maps say about us? In Theatre of the World, Thomas Reinertsen Berg takes us from the mysterious symbols of the Stone Age to Google Earth, exploring how the ability to envision what the world looks like developed hand in hand with worldwide exploration. This fascinating tale of science and strategy, art and technology, power and ambition, practical needs and distant dreams of the unknown, tells a new story about world history and the people who made it. We encounter visionary geographers and heroic explorers along with the unknown heroes of the mapmaking world, both ancient and modern. Theater of the World is above all a celebration of the extraordinary men and women mapmakers whose work has made history."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 526.09

The admirals : Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King -- the five-star admirals who won the war at sea /Walter R. Borneman. A unique collective biography of the four men who "with a combination of nimble counsel, exasperating ego, studied patience, and street-fighter tactics" shaped the modern U.S. Navy to win WWII at sea. Only four men in American history have been promoted to the five-star rank of Admiral of the Fleet: William Leahy, Ernest King, Chester Nimitz, and William Halsey. These four men were the best and the brightest the navy produced, and together they led the U.S. navy to victory in World War II, establishing the United States as the world's greatest fleet. In THE ADMIRALS, award-winning historian Walter R. Borneman tells their story in full detail for the first time. Drawing upon journals, ship logs, and other primary sources, he brings an incredible historical moment to life, showing us how the four admirals revolutionized naval warfare forever with submarines and aircraft carriers, and how these men-who were both friends and rivals-worked together to ensure that the Axis fleets lay destroyed on the ocean floor at the end of World War II. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92:355.33(73)

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