Maritime History Books

New! The White Star Journal (Published Weekly on Board the Clipper Ship White Star During a Passage from Liverpool, England, to Melbourne, Australia with 600 Emigrants, in the Year 1855)

Spin Me a Dit! Tales of the Royal Australian Navy

Kangaroo Island Shipwrecks, an Account of the Ships and Cutters Wrecked Around Kangaroo Island

Contributions to Scottish Maritime History

Ships that Passed: The Glorious Era of Travel to Australia and New Zealand

Clippers for the Record: The Story of Ship Thermopylae, S. S. Aberdeen and Captain Charles MATHESON

The Cutty Sark and Thermopylae Era of Sail

Thermopylae and the Age of Clippers

Sail and Steam on the Northern California Coast 1850-1900

Pacific Coastal Liners: All the Color and Stark Drama of the Ships That Steamed Offshore From Baja California to Nome

Ships Employed in the South Seas Trade: 1775-1859 (Part I): Admiralty Protections from Impressment, 1777-1811 (Part II): Aspects of the South Sea Trade (part III)

Gold Rush Steamers of the Pacific

Shipwrecks of Southern California

California Shipwrecks: Footsteps in the Sea

The Last Voyage of the Independence: The Story of a Shipwreck and South Sea Sketches, 1833 to 1836

The Final Voyage of the Central America, 1857: The Saga of a Gold Rush Steamship, the Tragedy of Her Loss in a Hurricane, and the Treasure...

Steamships and Motorships of the West Coast

West Coast Workboats An Illustrated Guide to Work Vessels from Bristol Bay to San Diego

The B & I Line: A History of the British and Irish Steam Packet Company

The Illustrated Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

Charleston's Navy Yard: A Picture History

Norfolk's Waters An Illustrated Maritime History of Hampton Roads

An Era to Remember A Historical Sketch of the Shipbuilding Industry in West Washington County [Maine]

The Tea Clippers: Their History and Development, 1833-1875

Steamers of the Highlands and Islands: An Illustrated History

South American Packets: The British Packet Service to Brazil, the River Plate, the West Coast and Falkland Islands 1808-1880

Sink Or Be Sunk: The Naval Battle In The Mississippi Sound That Preceded The Battle Of New Orleans

Shipwrecks at the Golden Gate. A History of Vessel Losses from Duxbury Reef to Mussel Rock

Four Short Blasts: The Gale of 1898 and the Loss of the Steamer Portland

Fast Ferries

History of Shipbuilding on North River, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, With Genealogies of the Shipbuilders, and Accounts of the Industries Upon Its Tributaries, 1640-1872

A Maritime History of Bath, Maine and the Kennebec River Region

Shipping & Craft in Silhouette
(1929)

Mailships of the Channel Islands, 1771-1971

Canadian Coastal & Inland Steam Vessels, 1809-1930

Fair Winds & Foul. a Narrative of Daily Life Aboard an American Clipper Ship

Index to Seamen's Protection Certificate Applications, Port of Philadelphia...

Cabin Plans "Passenger Traffic Dept., United Fruit Company Steamship Service, ..[ca. 1915]. Small 4to folded to narrow 8vo. 15 pp. Illustrated, includes deck plans for 11 different models of steamships in the line, one of which is double-page. Original illustrated wrappers, stapled. ... Promotional for the "Great White Fleet, " a steamship line serving the Caribbean with twice weekly sailings from New York and New Orleans and one from Boston."

A Naval Campaign in the Californias: 1846-1849

Sold! ~~Shipping Arrivals & Departures: South Australia 1627-1850: A Guide for Genealogists & Maritime Historians~~

An Authentic Narrative of the Shipwreck and Suffering of Mrs. Eliza BRADLEY
(1820)

Liners in Battledress, Wartime Camouflage and Colour Schemes for Passenger Ships

A History of American Privateers

The Naval War of 1812

The Trip of the Steamer Oceanus to Fort Sumter and Charleston, S. C. (1865)

Voyages of American Ships to China, 1784-1844

Yukon Voyage; Unofficial Log of the Steamer Yukoner

Ships' Plans: Old Cruiser U. S. S. Denver and Class of 5 Sisters: Des Moines, Chattanooga, Galveston, Tacoma. Cleveland) of 1904

The History of the American Sailing Navy

Falmouth for Orders: the Story of the Last Clipper Ship Race Around Cape Horn

Reminiscences of the Veterans of the Sea-a Series of Photographs Illustrative of the British Navy of By-Gone Times From the Professional Works of J.C. Schetky Marine Painter in Ordinary to Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen
(1867)

The Tall Ships Pass the Story of the Last Years of Deepwater Square-Rigged Sail

Recollections of a Tule Sailor By John LEALE (1850-1932), Master Mariner, San Francisco Bay
Texas Forgotten Ports
The Maritime History of Maine Three Centuries of Ship Building & Seafaring

Sailing Ships Shipwrecks and Crime in the 19th Century: a Handbook for Historians, Genealogists, Shiplovers and Criminologists Based on Supreme Court Records, Criminal Sessions 1840s-1860s

Ship Registries and Enrollments: Port of Eureka 1859-1920

Abstracts From a Journal Ship 'Sharon' of Fairhaven on a Whaling Voyage in the South Pacific 1841-1845

Boatbuilders of Bristol: the Story of the Amazing HERRESHOFF Family

Sold! ~~To San Francisco and Great Britain Through the United States: the Wonderful Sea Island Route...~~
From the seller: "A nice guidebook to the steamer trip from Sydney to England by way of the eastern Pacific islands and the United States. The ship left Sydney, stopped at Wellington, then made a six-day sail to Rarotonga, another two days to Tahiti, then 12 days to San Francisco. From there, the traveler's ticket offered a choice of eight routes by rail across the US, each with stops at different cities. Informative descriptions of all ports-of-call and US cities are included: Wellington, Rarotonga, Tahiti, San Francisco, Sacramento, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Denver, Albuquerque, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Niagara, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. Also included are charts of fares, general information on the ship and the voyage, etc. Two full-page maps track the voyage."

Sold! ~~List of Passengers-R. M. S. "Alcantara"~~
Voyage: Buenos Ayres, Montevideo, Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador (Bahia), Recife (Pernambuco), Las Palmas, Madeira, Lisbon, Vigo, Cherbourg and Southampton. "Alcantara" departed Buenos Aires 5th March 1954 to Arrive Southampton on 23rd March 1954, Captain B. C. DODDS, in command.

Newport News Ships. Their History in Two World Wars

The Falmouth Packets

Sold! ~~Ontario and St. Lawrence Steamboat Company's Hand-Book for Travelers to Niagara Falls, Montreal and Quebec and Through Lake~~
(1853)

Thunder on the Gulf: The Story of the Texas Navy

Clipper Ships of America and Great Britain 1833-1869

Original Historic War of 1812 Document at Alibris! Partially Printed Document Signed, a "List of Persons Composing the Crew of the Schooner Dart of Philadelphia, Henry RIHL, Master
From the seller: "WAR OF 1812. Partially printed Document signed, a "List of Persons Composing the Crew of the Schooner Dart of Philadelphia, whereof is Master Henry RIHL, bound for Cape Henry (Virginia). " Listed are 2 mates and 12 seamen. Name, place of birth, place of residence, nationality, age, height, complexion, and hair color are listed for each; 2 seamen are designated as "black, " 1 as "mulatto, " and 1 as "swarthy. " The document's validity is certified on verso. 1 1/2 pages, large folio (holes, edges torn, dampstaining). Philadelphia, March 8, 1813."

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

The Old Bay Line 1840-1940: From Baltimore to Old Point Comfort Norfolk-Portsmouth

Two Years Before the Mast: And Twenty-Four Years After
"Avast there all you Patrick O' Brian fans! Here is a personal narrative of the seaman's life in the age of sail: 1815-1882, and a classic of nautical literature. Dana was a Harvard student recovering from the measles when he decided it would be more interesting to do so at sea as a common sailor. In 1834 he joined a two-year voyage rounding Cape Horn to deliver cargo to California. All the color and detail of daily life at sea as well as descriptions of various ports. Rousing!"

Pirates on the Chesapeake: Being a True History of Pirates, Picarons and Raiders on Chesapeake Bay, 1610-1807

Shipwrecks on the Chesapeake: Maritime Disasters on Chesapeake Bay and Its Tributaries, 1608-1978

Off Soundings: Aspects of the Maritime History of Rhode Island

A Maritime Album: 100 Photographs and Their Stories

The Maritime History of Massachusetts, 1783-1860

The Schooner: Its Design and Development from 1600 to the Present
"From its emergence in Holland in the early seventeenth century to its present renaissance as a luxury charter vessel, the sleek and elegant schooner has embodied the romance of the seas. It has been used in just about every seafaring role from modest coastal craft navigating narrow inland waterways to high speed clippers plowing the world's oceans. Though schooners in Britain, America, and Canada were primarily cargo carriers, they were also used as Grand Banks fishing schooners, pilot boats, Baltimore clippers, colonial schooners, and yachts. This comprehensive history describes in detail the development of the beautiful rig and gives examples of all if its variations. Heavily illustrated with plans, paintings, and photographs, this new paperback edition will delight every maritime enthusiast."

Built on Honor, Sailed With Skill: The American Coasting Schooner
"The author served as a seaman on the last American commercial sailing ships in the 1930s (coastwise schooners). The book is a collection of magazine articles that describe his adventures, relate the history of those last ships, and explain some of the the technology. It is illustrated by numerous photographs, many taken on shipboard by the author."

Tidewater Triumph: The Development and Worldwide Success of the Chesapeake Bay Pilot Schooner
"The fast, agile pilot schooners of Chesapeake Bay - employed not only for piloting but for cargo-carrying - began to build their legend in the eighteenth century, becoming blockade runners during the American Revolution, privateering vessels during the War of 1812, armed dispatch and policing vessels for European navies, and a favored type for the activities of pirates, smugglers and slavers. Variations on the final "clipper" model of the Baltimore schooner continued the vessel's reputation through the nineteenth century as great yachts and humble "pungy" schooners that carried produce and building materials well into the twentieth century. In Tidewater Triumph Geoffrey Footner documents the family tree of this distinctive American vessel in both text and illustration, including hull lines from sources around the world."

Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail "Few Americans recognize the degree to which early African American history is a maritime history. Seafaring was one of the most significant occupations among both enslaved and free black men between 1740 and 1865. W. Jeffrey Bolster, master mariner and historian, presents here an extraordinary chapter in the formation of black America. In Black Jacks, he shows that sailors were the eyes and ears to worlds beyond the horizon of black communities ashore, and examines how the meaning of race aboard ship changed with time. Rescuing African American seamen from obscurity, this stirring account reveals the critical role sailors played in helping forge new identities for black people in America."

Maritime History Books for Kids!

Thar She Blows: American Whaling in the Nineteenth Century

Ships of the American Revolution

Important note: Some of the original editions of these one-of-a-kind books sell quickly, so if you want it, jump on it! You may never see one again!

Related Books: River History & Heritage
& Military History

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