Transportation

The Porsche Book - a racing car legend becomes a coffee table book with class. 

Driving a Porsche is a very special lifestyle, a philosophy of its own - and an absolute necessity in the life of a car fan. That's why this fascinating coffee table book inextricably combines everything that belongs to the luxury car brand created by Ferdinand Porsche: impressive photos, an avant-garde layout and cool texts make this coffee table book an essential must-have for Porsche enthusiasts and a valuable piece of German automotive history.   

An illustrated book as luxurious as the cult sports car from Stuttgart – Germany.  

The German car brand and success story of Porsche could not be presented in a more comprehensive and glamorous way than in this illustrated book: High-gloss images characterized by avant-garde aesthetics, exclusive design sketches and fascinating technical details on all series models - and yes, before you ask, the legendary Porsche 911 is also included! Michael Köckritz also sheds light on the significance of Porsche as a luxury brand and racing car icon, unique in the history of motor racing and sports cars. Expert interviews with insiders from the Porsche cosmos round off the coffee table book with fascinating details.  

Avant-garde coffee table book from the pen of a car and lifestyle expert 

Only a passionate Porsche driver like the journalist, artist and media maker Michael Köckritz can adequately describe the fascination of the sports car legend from Stuttgart - because he captures in words and intoxicating images exactly what Porsche fans and car collectors feel! The combination of luxury, lifestyle and the racing car history that unites perhaps the most legendary German car brand explains only part of the myth of "driving a Porsche". In the style of the car culture magazine ramp, founded by Köckritz, he presents a fascinating piece of automotive history in The Porsche Book: a coffee table book for which luxury is as natural as the number 911 is for Porsche. 

The first gasoline was sold in pharmacies—but this was to change in the 1950s. 

As the car experienced its great rise in popularity, gas stations began to pop up like mushrooms out of the ground. Futuristic and progressive, these modern temples of mobility became roadside reference points for young people hungry for independence, and to everyone who strove for a sense of freedom.

It's a Gas! explores the surprisingly diverse world of the gas station—a functional high tech temple, a transit zone, a film set, a converted residence, or an abandoned ruin hidden in a backyard. The world of pumps is full of surprises, ready to be discovered in this book. The preface was written by US-American talkshow legend and passionate car collector Jay Leno. Sascha Friesike, Assistant Professor of Digital Innovation at VU University in Amsterdam and associated researcher at Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society Berlin, is the author of the crime series Grobmann und Pieper and photographer of gas stations.

“Collecting is an art, a discipline that goes beyond mere ownership. It’s about understanding the soul of the things you appreciate and recognizing their immaterial value.” 

This is not just an excerpt from Beat Imwinkelried’s Foreword of “Ferrari 330GT – From Scratch” it is a perfect description of what this book is about. It’s about pure passion for a unique piece of automotive history. 

Who? 

Beat Imwinkelried is the owner of the Swiss official Ferrari dealer B.I. Collection. He initiated the restoration of the Ferrari 330GT 2+2 that is documented in the book. 

What? 

The Ferrari 330GT is one of the most beautiful sports cars of all time that was designed by the famous Carrozzeria Pininfarina in the 1960s. B.I. Collection have restored a 330GT “from scratch”. 

How? 

“Ferrari 330GT – From Scratch” showcases the restoration process in beautiful photography by Sven Germann, from the deconstructed body to the final result. Each step executed with careful attention to detail. What else? The book is beautifully designed by Charles Blunier and has a premium jacket with a deep embossing, a linen cover and two different kinds of paper used inside the book.

Fast. Silent. Radical. And wildly fun. The future of electric motorcycles and cars is looking bright. Cutting edge design and innovative batteries, instant acceleration and post fossil fuel energy are a green utopia within reach. The new wave of electric vehicles such as motorcycles, bicycles and hybrids, drives our way into sustainability whilst roads and highways are continuously being connected by charging networks, enhancing all the fun. This book is a modern guide to new mobility that is both admirable and inspiring. gestalten continues to actively reimagine the way in which we approach publishing with a focus on the aesthetic, particularly that of graphic design, culture, people or art.

Instant acceleration, no noise, no grease and no pollution. The Current features the most radical vehicles and pioneers of the electric revolution. The Current: New Wheels for the Post-Petrol Age explores this shift towards eco-friendly riding by profiling the pioneers in the field. Engineering and custom design, classic brands, and new projects, two or three wheelers but also cars: this book is the roadmap to driving now and driving differently. The future of mobility is electric – it could be our most thrilling ride yet!

Pack up your panniers and grab your helmet. Life is short.

Get ready for adventure with Riding in the Wild, a comprehensive guide to riding classic motorcycles on and off the roads. Written by motorcycle enthusiast and travel expert Jordan Gibbons, this book takes you on a journey around the globe, showcasing the best motorcycle regions and routes that offer unforgettable experiences. From the rugged terrain of the Australian outback to the winding roads of the Scottish Highlands, Gibbons offers informative advice on what to pack, what to wear, and the best bikes to take on your journey.

Whether you're a seasoned rider or a beginner looking for a new way to explore the world, Riding in the Wild has something for everyone. With stunning photography, maps, illustrations, and inspiring stories, this book is a great companion for anyone with an adventurous spirit.

Italy is the homeland of "La Bella Macchina" and the cradle of automotive culture. This book celebrates the most iconic cars and visionary designers from the peninsula.

Italy is the homeland of “La Bella Macchina” and the cradle of automotive culture. This book celebrates the most iconic cars and visionary designers from the peninsula.

This stunningly illustrated book takes readers on a journey through the history of Italian automotive design, showcasing some of the most iconic and beloved models from the 1920s to the early 2000s.

Delving deep into the craftsmanship and artistry of vintage automobiles, this book explores how Italian car design has been at the center of technology, culture, and creativity—and how Italian designers like Pininfarina, Zagato, Bertone, Giugiaro, Gandini, and Ghia have influenced international car designs and brands. With striking archival and contemporary images, The Italians reveals the fascinating stories behind some of the most famous cars from Italy and what makes them so desirable. This book uses the lens of automotive design to chart the evolution of culture over the last 100 years. The Italians is an impactful celebration of Italian car design and its lasting influence on design and culture.

"Débutant en 1846 avec une flotte d'un seul navire, c'est grâce à la volonté et la ténacité de personnages remarquables tels que Jacques-Félix Sincennes, Louis-Adélard Sénécal et Louis-Joseph Forget, pour n'en nommer que quelques uns, que la Compagnie de Navigation du Richelieu a fait face aux défis du transport de produits de l'agriculture et de passagers vers des marchés plus vastes.

Suite à de nombreuses fusions avec des compagnies déjà en place, elle est devenue en 1913 la mère de la Société Canada Steamship Lines qui est encore un chef de file dans les eaux canadiennes et qui joue également un rôle important et toujours en croissance à l'échelle internationale en Europe, en Asie et en Amérique latine.

Avec cette oeuvre, Pierre Camu poursuit sa contribution à l'histoire de l'expansion économique du pays, en particulier dans le domaine des transports par eau. La rigueur et la profondeur de ses recherches pour ce volume sont remarquables; le ton est juste et le contexte social et économique recréé nous permet d'y pénétrer comme si on s'y retrouvait au moment présent.

Cet ouvrage captivera le lecteur du début à la fin. J'ai rencontré Pierre Camu lors de mon entrée dans l'industrie maritime, il y a quarante ans, et tout au long de sa carrière j'ai pu constater son dynamisme et son amour pour cette industrie et son histoire.

Je recommande la lecture de ce livre à tous ceux et celles qui s'intéressent à l'histoire des pionniers de notre pays."

- Le très honorable Paul Martin

Fifty years ago, Royal Mail Ship Nascopie ended a life full of adventure on an unmarked reef in Hudson's Strait. Launched by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1911, her main mission was to supply the Company's far-flung posts in Canada's North. Alone and without any of today's navigation and communications equipment, she battled ice and icebergs, fog, storms, and uncharted waters to delivery everything the posts needed to survive and trade.

Few ships played such a prolonged role in developing Canada's North and maintaining her presence there. Nascopie was a strong ship sailed by strong men. She played a historic role for Canada and this is her story.

One hundred and twenty-five years of steamboating in Muskoka come alive with the anniversary celebration of the RMS Segwun.

The Royal Mail Ship Segwun is the oldest operating steamship in North America, a Muskoka icon, and one of Ontario’s best-known tourist attractions. Built as a paddlewheeler in 1887, the RMS Segwun saw her initial career suspended in the 1950s when the ship ceased operations. Fortunately, she began a new chapter in 1974 when she was lovingly restored and magnificent sightseeing cruises were offered. Those who board the vessel step back in time to a romantic era in cottage country’s history when steamboats were vital to settlement, tourism, and economic development.

The history of this celebrated Canadian ship and her sister vessels that made up the Muskoka Navigation Company fleet is thoughtfully explored, as is the long and significant past of steamboating on the Muskoka lakes. Historical and contemporary photographs complement the story of this "Queen of Muskoka" in recognition of her 125th anniversary.

The Frances Smith was not only the first steamboat to be built in Owen Sound, but also the largest vessel on Georgian Bay at that time. By far the most luxurious vessel to sail the Upper Great Lakes from a Canadian port, she was known as a "palace steamer." In the mid-to-late-19th century, the Frances Smith set the standard for speed, spacious accommodation and quality service on Georgian Bay and Lake Superior.

The story of the Frances Smith, full of adventure and courageous actions, and even including disreputable behaviour, is a genuine story of life on the Great Lakes in the latter part of the 1800s. Meticulously researched and documented by Scott L. Cameron, this book is an exploration of a special part of our past that will be of great interest to history buffs in general, and maritime historians in particular.

The construction of the Crossrail project began at North Dock in Canary Wharf in May 2009 and it has been one of the largest single infrastructure investments undertaken in the UK to date. Consisting of 21 kilometres of new twin-bore tunnels and 10 new world-class stations in central London connecting to upgraded lines, the line will provide essential new services to the east and west of the UK capital.

Crossrail Project: Infrastructure Design and Construction - Volume 5 contains 21 new papers submitted to Crossrail's Technical Papers Competition. Contributions have come from consultants, contractors, suppliers and third-party stakeholders all of whom have been involved in the Crossrail project. The papers cover a variety of disciplines including fire safety, sustainability, engineering design, reliability and many more.

As part of the legacy of the Crossrail project, it is important for the organisation to share its experiences and best practices with the rest of the industry and to showcase the skills of the personnel involved and the successful delivery of each phase of works. This fifth volume continues Crossrail's dissemination of that experience as the project itself nears completion with the official launch due in 2018.

Crossrail Project: Infrastructure Design and Construction - Volume 5 offers a valuable source of reference for current practices in design and construction of large-scale underground projects.

The editors have compiled an incredible volume, packed with memories and photographs that recall the locomotives, branch lines, summer Saturday peak traffic, GWR narrow gauge, and more to create a vivid picture of a unique time and place.

This title from the De Gruyter Book Archive has been digitized in order to make it available for academic research. It was originally published under National Socialism and has to be viewed in this historical context. Learn more here.

This title from the De Gruyter Book Archive has been digitized in order to make it available for academic research. It was originally published under National Socialism and has to be viewed in this historical context. Learn more here.

This title from the De Gruyter Book Archive has been digitized in order to make it available for academic research. It was originally published under National Socialism and has to be viewed in this historical context. Learn more here.

This title from the De Gruyter Book Archive has been digitized in order to make it available for academic research. It was originally published under National Socialism and has to be viewed in this historical context. Learn more here.

This title from the De Gruyter Book Archive has been digitized in order to make it available for academic research. It was originally published under National Socialism and has to be viewed in this historical context. Learn more here.

This title from the De Gruyter Book Archive has been digitized in order to make it available for academic research. It was originally published under National Socialism and has to be viewed in this historical context. Learn more here.

This title from the De Gruyter Book Archive has been digitized in order to make it available for academic research. It was originally published under National Socialism and has to be viewed in this historical context. Learn more here.

This long-awaited study, the magnum opus of a leading railroad historian, describes the conception, construction, and early operation of the first narrow gauge railroads in northern California. It is lavishly illustrated by some 600 photographs and drawings, almost three-quarters of which have never before been published.

The topic is approached through an unusual lens: the history of the relatively small but extraordinarily inventive contracting and engineering firm of the brothers Thomas and Martin Carter. The Carters were able to reduce the cost and complexity of light railroad construction to the point where local narrow gauge lines could initially compete with the state’s notorious railroad monopolies.

Pioneering a mobile manufacturing operation that could supply locally funded short lines with rolling stock (which traditionally came from East Coast manufacturers), the Carter Brothers began with a line to serve Salinas Valley wheat farmers, desperate to achieve an independent means for conveying their crops to the wharf in Monterey. The narrow gauge railroad that resulted was an act of political and economic defiance, but ultimately a hopeless assault on the "Octopus"—the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads.

Rallying around the example set in Monterey, a narrow gauge movement in California flourished in the mid-1870s, with the rapid launching of five more companies—the North Pacific Coast, the Santa Cruz Railroad, the Santa Cruz & Felton, the Nevada County Narrow Gauge, and the South Pacific Coast—all of which drew on the Carter Brothers for manufacturing and engineering. Soon, Thomas and Martin Carter were not only selling railroad supplies and engineering to all six short lines, but had won management positions with the strongest, the South Pacific Coast. Until personal and financial disaster overtook them in 1880, the Carters were at the forefront of not just a new business, but a new technology.

This is the first English translation of a monumental account of American railroads (and canals) in the years 1838-1839. Its author, Franz Anton Ritter von Gerstner, was Europe's leading authority on railroad construction, and he conducted his study at the behest of the Russian government, which rightly felt that the United States would provide a more suitable model for the construction of a Russian railroad system than England. For a century and a half, Gerstner's Die innern Communicationen has been recognized as by far the most comprehensive and detailed work on the development, construction, finance, and operation of early American railroads and canals, enriched by accounts of the pioneering men who were involved in the enterprise that was to transform the century.

Most of the technological data presented is to be found nowhere else; for example, virtually every technique for constructing the various kinds of track is explained and illustrated by line drawings. Gerstner supplemented his first-hand observations of every railroad in the United States with data from transportation companies and government documents, including the amounts, dimensions, and kinds of rolling stock, personnel, funds dispersed, revenues collected, ton-miles of freight, and seat-miles of passengers. Throughout, Gerstner's insights and commentary reflect his vast experience and knowledge of railroads (he built what is often called the first railroad on the European continent and the first Russian railroad).

Gerstner went beyond technology to examine the management and organization of railroads and canals and to review the structures and responsibilities of state boards for the oversight of transportation firms. In addition, he included vivid accounts of many aspects of American culture, such as early "Jim Crowism," with blacks traveling in baggage cars rather than coaches, and the horrific working conditions of both free laborers and slaves (the highly profitable Tallahassee Railroad owned its own slaves for working on the line). All in all, the publication in English of Gerstner's encyclopedic work is a major event in the economic and transportation history of the United States.

This masterful, richly illustrated account of the planning and building of the most important and influential early American railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio, is an essential contribution not only to railyway history but also to the broader history of the development of the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century.

There was no precedent for the building of the B&O. The construction of the 380-mile line from Baltimore to the Ohio River over a period of 25 years is an epic story of astute planning and innovative engineering that overcame many formidable obstacles, notably the arduous traversing of 200 miles of mountain wilderness. Its successful inauguration provided a spur to internal improvements throughout the United States. Railroads, and certainly the B&O, epitomized progress, not only in the development and extension of the Western frontier but in the revelation that personal travel and the delivery of freight could be dramatically faster, better, and cheaper.

The railroad deeply affected the development of Baltimore's port, industry, and urban geography, as well as its financial, educational, and cultural institutions. George Peabody, Enoch Pratt, William Walters, and Johns Hopkins—the city's most prominent philanthropists—were involved with the B&O, some intimately; the Johns Hopkins University was founded on B&O Railroad stock. The B&O also contributed by aiding in the growth of the state's iron and coal industries.

The B&O came to be called "the Railroad University of the United States." Its civil engineers formed the core of the railroad engineering profession in America. The company's annual reports during the building of the line were, according to the American Railroad Journal in 1835, "a textbook and their road and workshops have been as a lecture room to thousands."

Throughout, the author highlights the many types of men who were involved in that history: promoters, financiers, politicians, lawyers, newspaper editors, fixers and bagmen, civil engineers, inventors and mechanics, foremen, contractors, and feuding Irish laborers, who together built the first long-distance, general-purpose railroad in the United States.

The book is illustrated with 80 photographs and drawings and 5 maps.

This masterful, richly illustrated account of the planning and building of the most important and influential early American railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio, is an essential contribution not only to railyway history but also to the broader history of the development of the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century.

There was no precedent for the building of the B&O. The construction of the 380-mile line from Baltimore to the Ohio River over a period of 25 years is an epic story of astute planning and innovative engineering that overcame many formidable obstacles, notably the arduous traversing of 200 miles of mountain wilderness. Its successful inauguration provided a spur to internal improvements throughout the United States. Railroads, and certainly the B&O, epitomized progress, not only in the development and extension of the Western frontier but in the revelation that personal travel and the delivery of freight could be dramatically faster, better, and cheaper.

The railroad deeply affected the development of Baltimore's port, industry, and urban geography, as well as its financial, educational, and cultural institutions. George Peabody, Enoch Pratt, William Walters, and Johns Hopkins—the city's most prominent philanthropists—were involved with the B&O, some intimately; the Johns Hopkins University was founded on B&O Railroad stock. The B&O also contributed by aiding in the growth of the state's iron and coal industries.

The B&O came to be called "the Railroad University of the United States." Its civil engineers formed the core of the railroad engineering profession in America. The company's annual reports during the building of the line were, according to the American Railroad Journal in 1835, "a textbook and their road and workshops have been as a lecture room to thousands."

Throughout, the author highlights the many types of men who were involved in that history: promoters, financiers, politicians, lawyers, newspaper editors, fixers and bagmen, civil engineers, inventors and mechanics, foremen, contractors, and feuding Irish laborers, who together built the first long-distance, general-purpose railroad in the United States.

The book is illustrated with 80 photographs and drawings and 5 maps.

This 50-year saga of the "Weary Erie" goes far beyond describing in brilliant detail the turbulent last decades of a colorful, spunky, and innovative railroad. As the author vividly shows, the Erie possessed an uncommonly interesting history. For a brief time, it was the longest rail artery in the United States, hailed as "the most stupendous engineering feat ever attempted in America." It pioneered many innovations even after its opening in 1851, notably with the use of the telegraph for traffic control.

The present volume also tells us much about what happened to American railroading, especially in the East, during this period: technological change, government over-regulation, corporate mergers, union "featherbedding," uneven executive leadership, and changing patterns of travel and business. Step by step, the author reveals how the problems faced by the Erie became so numerous and complex that financial collapse and liquidation were inevitable results.

Throughout, the author draws on the abundant records of the Erie and Erie Lackawanna and on dozens of interviews with employees, bankers, lawyers, and industry official who cooperated in telling the story of the Erie's last years "the way it was." The book is illustrated with 45 photographs and drawings and 4 maps.

One of the most colorful yet neglected eras in American transportation history is re-created in this definitive history of the electric interurbans. Built with the idea of attracting short-distance passenger traffic and light freight, the interurbans were largely constructed in the early 1900s. The rise of the automobile and motor transport caused the industry to decline after World War I, and the depression virtually annihilated the industry by the middle 1930s.

Part I describes interurban construction, technology, passenger and freight traffic, financial history, and final decline and abandonment. Part II presents individual histories (with route maps) of the more than 300 companies of the interurban industry.

Reviews

"A first-rate work of such detail and discernment that it might well serve as a model for all corporate biographies. . . . A wonderfully capable job of distillation."

—Trains

"Few economic, social, and business historians can afford to miss this definitive study."

—Mississippi Valley Historical Review

"All seekers after nostalgia will be interested in this encyclopedic volume on the days when the clang, clang of the trolley was the most exciting travel sound the suburbs knew."

—Harper's Magazine

"A fascinating and instructive chapter in the history of American transportation."

—Journal of Economic History

"The hint that behind the grand facade of scholarship lies an expanse of boyish enthusiasm is strengthened by a lovingly amassed and beautifully reproduced collection of 37 photographs."

—The Nation

This is the first comprehensive account of the capsizing in 1915 of the steamer Eastland, an accident that killed more than 800 men, women, and children—the worst disaster of any kind in the history of Chicago and the worst in the history of the Great Lakes.

Reviews

"Hilton has written a comprehensive and exhaustive study of the worst disaster in Chicago's history. . . . Alterations and the addition of more lifeboats and rafts after the Titanic sank made the Eastland so unstable that it rolled over in the Chicago River. . . . The vessel's entire career is examined, and . . . the disaster itself is meticulously described and analyzed. Hilton also critically evaluates the subsequent civil and criminal court proceedings, raising a number of issues relating to marine safety regulations and the compensation of the victims' families."

—Choice

"Irony and tragedy combine in this account of America's worst marine disaster. . . . Hilton constructs a careful account of the events leading up to the calamity. The disaster itself is recounted minute by minute. . . . The numerous illustrations and period photographs, as well as numerous appendixes, make this a definitive account."

—Library Journal

"This is the book on the Eastland."

—Inland Seas

"It contains vivid accounts of drownings and rescues, heroism and cowardice."

—Chicago Tribune

Brown celebrates the survival of our railway heritage in stations that have been saved or remain in use.

Despite the "green" benefits of rail travel, Canada has lost much of its railway heritage. Across the country stations have been bulldozed and rails ripped up. Once the heart of communities large and small, stations and tracks have left little more than a gaping hole in Canada’s landscapes. This book revisits the times when railways were the country’s economic lifelines, and the station the social centre. Here was where we worked, played, listened to political speeches, or simply said goodbye to loved ones.



The landscapes that grew around the station are also explored and include such forgotten features as station hotels, restaurants, gardens, and the once-common railway YMCA. Railway companies often hired the world’s leading architects to design grand station buildings that ranged in style from chateauesque to art deco. Even small-town stations and wayside shelters displayed an artistic flare and elegance. Although most have vanished, the book celebrates the survival of that heritage in stations that have been saved or remain in use. The book will appeal to anyone who has links with our rail era, or who simply appreciates the value of Canada’s built heritage.

Explore Ontario’s rich railway heritage — from stations and hotels to train rides, bridges, water towers, and roundhouses.

Rails Across Ontario will take the reader back to a time when the railway ruled the economy and the landscape.

Read about historic stations, railway museums, heritage train rides, and historic bridges. Follow old rail lines along Ontario’s most popular rail trails. Find out where steam engines still puff across farm fields and where historic train coaches lead deep into the wilds of Ontario’s scenic north country. Discover long forgotten but once vital railway structures, such as roundhouses, coal docks, and water towers. Learn about regular VIA Rail routes that follow some of the province’s oldest rail lines and pass some of its most historic stations, including one that has operated continuously since 1857.

Follow the evolution of the rail legacy of the Canadian Prairies from the arrival of the first engine on a barge to today’s realities.

Rails Across the Prairies traces the evolution of Canada’s rail network, including the appearance of the first steam engine on the back of a barge. The book looks at the arrival of European settlers before the railway and examines how they coped by using ferry services on the Assiniboine and North Saskatchewan Rivers. The work then follows the building of the railways, the rivalries of their owners, and the unusual irrigation works of Canadian Pacific Railway. The towns were nearly all the creation of the railways from their layout to their often unusual names.

Eventually, the rail lines declined, though many are experiencing a limited revival. Learn what the heritage lover can still see of the Prairies’ railway legacy, including existing rail operations and the stories the railways brought with them. Many landmarks lie vacant, including ghost towns and elevators, while many others survive as museums or interpretative sites.

Under Canadian Pacific's red-and-white-checkered flag, the company's founders, George Stephen and William C. Van Horne, created a rail-sea service from Liverpool to Hong Kong. Boasting sternwheelers, Great Lakes bulk carriers, ferries, and luxurious ocean-going liner leviathans, the Canadian Pacific shipping line sailed around the globe. In both world wars the entire fleet served gallantly as Allied troop carriers. After the Second World War, the company staved off the realities of the jet age for as long as it could, replacing liners with container ships, until what was left of the legendary maritime operation was sold off in 2005.

With a witty and informative style, author Peter Pigott evokes not only the nostalgic heyday of ocean travel but reveals a slice of almost-forgotten Canadiana. From the stifling steerage quarters of immigrant ships to the elegant drawing rooms of nautical titans such as the ill-fated Empress of Ireland and the Empress of Asia, from U-boat-haunted convoys to container ships, shore dwellers and old salts alike will be delighted with Sailing Seven Seas.

Rescue From Grampa Woo is an exciting tale of fear and heroism on Lake Superior. It tells of the rescue of two American men from a propellerless cruise ship as it drifts out to sea in hurricane-force winds. Three ships, two Canadian, one American, fight to save it. How successful were they? What kind of people would take these risks for others? What is it about Lake Superior that inspires such awe?

Rescue From Grampa Woo is a mariner's story, a sea story, a gripping account of adventure, risk and dedication. It culminated in the awarding of three Governor General's Medals of Bravery.

"I know when not to push the lake."
- Captain Gerry Dawson

Explore Ontario’s forgotten rail lines and experience the legacy and lore of this the vital railway era of Ontario’s history. At its peak between 1880 and the 1920s, Ontario was criss-crossed by more than 20,000 kilometres of rail trackage. Today, only a fraction remains. Yet trains once hauled everything from strawberries to grain, cans of milk and even eels. Villagers depended on trains to visit friends, attend weddings, to shop, and to go to school. They gathered on station platforms to await their mail or greet a long-lost relative. Holidayers packed their trunks and headed north for an extended summer day at their favorite resorts. Today, these are but a distant memory as most of Ontario’s once essential transportation links lie abandoned and largely forgotten.

But perhaps not entirely – many rights of way have become rail trails, and now witness hikers, cyclists, equestrians, and snowmobilers. Others sadly, lie overgrown and barely visible. Yet regardless of how one follows these early routes, one will find preserved stations, historic bridges, and railway era buildings, all of which recall this bygone era.

Steamboats carrying passengers from Hamilton to Montreal via the rapids of the St. Lawrence were a popular sight in the latter half of the nineteenth century. In 1855, the Kingston, an iron steamboat built for John Hamilton, appeared in the Great Lakes. When the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) toured British North America in 1860, the Kingston became his floating palace for much of his time between Quebec and Toronto. While many steamboats claimed to be floating palaces, the Kingston truly was one.

In 1855, the Kingston, an iron steamboat built for John Hamilton (1802-82), appeared in the Great Lakes. When the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) came to British North America for the first royal tour in 1860, the Kingston became his floating palace for much of his time between Quebec and Toronto. Many steamboats claimed to be floating palaces. The Kingston was.

The Kingston was wrecked many times and survived spectacular fires in 1872 and 1873. Late in her career, she was converted into a salvage vessel and renamed the Cornwall. In 1930 she was finally taken out and sunk near one of Kingston’s ship graveyards. There she remained until diver Rick Neilson discovered her in 1989. Today, the once palatial Kingston is a popular dive site and tourist attraction.

The Empress of Ireland's last voyage ended on May 29, 1914, when she was rammed by a Norwegian coal-carrier in a fog patch on the St. Lawrence River near Rimouski. For David Creighton, her voyage still continues.

In Losing the Empress, Creighton delves into the lives of his grandparents - Salvation Army officers who were lost on the Empress - and the lives of their five orphaned children who would soon be plunged into World War I. His discoveries reveal amazing details about the Empress, which sank in fourteen minutes with a greater loss of life than the Titanic disaster.

Shipwreck nostalgia, last voyage dinners, Salvationists, the British Empire and the world wars fought to preserve it; everything comes into focus when the author joins Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard on a film shoot at the sunken liner's site. Losing the Empress lyrically traces a personal journey into the past and into the future.

The Alligator was an amphibious machine designed and patented in Canada in the late 1880s. This warping tug was capable of towing al og boomk across a lake and then portaging itself to the next body of water. Steam-powered and rugged, it was one of the pioneers in the mechanization of the forest industry and for more than thirty years was ubiquitous in northern Ontario until eclipsed by its worthy successor the Russel tug.

"This long-overdue book on the Alligator Warping Tug, designed and built by West & Peachey of Simcoe, Ontario, is a welcome addition to the libraries of those intrigued by Canada's story and particularly lumbering history." -- R. John Corby, curator emeritus, Canada Science and Technology Museum

By enabling access to the upper reaches of the Ottawa River and its many tributaries, the Alligator tug extended the social and economic stability provided by the timber industry and supported the populating of this vast region. Alligators of the North is a wonderful touchstone for all who share this heritage." — Mary Campbell, mayor of McNab-Braeside Township, Renfrew County

The year was 1910 and signs of progress were in the air. That June, a new steam ferry for the Toronto Island Company was launched and christened the Trillium. Only briefly mentioned in the local dailies at the time, the double-end, side-padded island ferry cruised the waters of Toronto Bay for nearly fifty years. After forty-six years of service, the Trillium retired in 1956, only to be saved from the scrap yard in 1973. The Trillium made its second debut in 1976 as a fully operational steam ferry and is still in service today.

As the Trillium reaches the century mark, Mike Filey revisits the history of this fascinating Canadian ship. With a new preface and updated photographs, including some in colour. Filey traces Trillium's remarkable rise, fall, and rebirth in a book that honours one of Toronto's most interesting treasures.

The steamer Wexford, with her flared bow, tall masts, and her open, canvas-sided hurricane deck, charmed spectators as she carried cargo across the Great Lakes. The romance and adventure of her British and French history in the South American trade followed her. Under newly appointed 24-year-old captain Bruce Cameron, her fateful final voyage was punctuated with opportunities to be saved from destruction , but his persistence in trying to make port at Goderich led to tragedy - a victim of the storm of 1913. Over a period of 87 years, she eluded many efforts to locate her remains, but was finally discovered in 2000 by a sailor using a fish-finding device. Since then, she has been visited by thousands, but sadly plundered. Our story traces her history from her British origins in 1883, through the transition to become a "Laker," the eventful storm, the search, and her ultimate discovery in southern Lake Huron, and the controversy over how she should be protected.

Since the advent of train travel, railways have compressed space and crossed national boundaries to become transnational icons, evoking hope, dread, progress, or obsolescence in different cultural domains. Spanning five continents and a diverse range of contexts, this collection offers an unprecedentedly broad survey of global representations of trains. From experimental novels to Hollywood blockbusters, the works studied here chart fascinating routes across a remarkably varied cultural landscape.

AN ENLIGHTENING, EXPANDED VIEW OF AMERICAN MARITIME HISTORY

From Native Americans with birch bark canoes and inventive colonists who took fishing shallops and laid decks over them for coastal trading to the rise of the automated mass carrier and ever-bigger passenger cruise ships, this book tells the story of four hundred years of America’s maritime history. It is filled with powerful and evocative images of ships such as the Mayflower, Savannah, Flying Cloud, Alabama, Sea-Land McLean, and Exxon Valdez; ports, including Boston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Salem, Buffalo, and Seattle; and people such as Joseph Peabody, Robert Fulton, Mark Twain, Donald McKay, Cornelius Vanderbilt, J. P. Morgan, and Malcom McLean.

The Way of the Ship offers a global perspective and considers both oceanic shipping and domestic shipping along America’s coasts and inland waterways, with explanations of the forces that influenced the way of the ship. The result is an eye-opening, authoritative look at American maritime history and the ways it helped shape the nation’s history. 

Includes 16 color pages of marine paintings by John Stobart.

This is part of a two-book project created by the American Maritime History Project, Inc., an independent enterprise with an office at the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York.

An authoritative guide to the history, landscape and lore along the scenic English train line between Settle and Carlisle, by an established travel writer and railway aficionado.

Widely known as England's most picturesque line, the enduring Settle-Carlisle Railway crosses the north Pennines between Yorkshire and Cumbria, traversing stunning scenery from the Dales through the lonely and lofty fells to the limestone pavements of Westmorland, and on into the lush, green Eden Valley.

In 2020, Christiaan De Beukelaer spent 150 days covering 14,000 nautical miles aboard the schooner Avontuur, a hundred-year-old sailing vessel that transports cargo across the Atlantic Ocean. Embarking in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, he wanted to understand the realities of a little-known alternative to the shipping industry on which our global economy relies, and which contributes more carbon emissions than aviation. What started as a three-week stint of fieldwork aboard the ship turned into a five-month journey, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced all borders shut while crossing the ocean, preventing the crew from stepping ashore for months on end.

Trade winds engagingly recounts De Beukelaer's life-changing personal odyssey and the complex journey the shipping industry is on to cut its carbon emissions. The Avontuur’s mission remains crucial as ever: the shipping industry urgently needs to stop using fossil fuels, starting today. If we can’t swiftly decarbonise shipping, we can’t solve the climate crisis.