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Liners to the Sun
This book takes a candid and insightful look at the rich history, construction and crew of the great ships.
512 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 1985
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37 people want to read
About the author
John Maxtone-Graham
33 books16 followersJohn Maxtone-Graham has written numerous works, including The Only Way to Cross—“the bible of the ship buffs"—Normandie, and France/Norway. He spends six months lecturing aboard ships. Ashore, he lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 25, 2009
If you are looking for a gift for the cruise enthusiast in your life, you cannot go wrong with Liners to the Sun, a written documentary of cruising’s past and how it continues to influence shipboard life today. This 500+ page volume by respected maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham contains something for everyone, covering topics such as shipbuilding, class distinctions, crossing vs. cruising, and the future of the cruise industry.
The author’s intent was for the reader to gain a better appreciation of what today’s cruises have to offer by studying their origins on earlier cruises and crossings. He accomplishes this through delightful, engaging accounts of actual voyages, as seen by the passengers and crew who experienced them.
Endure a storm on Friesland in 1895, chronicled in a passenger-run newspaper, and attend a passenger reunion on land one year later. Join the Ochs family on Victoria Luise in 1913 to explore the nearly completed Panama Canal, and call on Caribbean ports via a convoy of the ship’s lifeboats. Journey from New York to Rio on the legendary Normandie in 1938, and revel in the antics of the crossing-the-line ceremony. Relive several of the author’s own cruises of the 1980s, including a trip to the Caribbean on the Norway during her inaugural season, the Far East portion of a Rotterdam world cruise, Alaska on Fairsea, and a transatlantic repositioning cruise via the North Cape on Royal Viking Sea.
Observe what goes on behind the scenes of a cruise ship. Spend a day with a cabin steward, and see the precursors of today’s popular "towel animals." Learn the origins of the Captain’s Dinner. Witness the camaraderie that exists at sea, as Sea Venture (today’s Pacific Princess) was called upon to rescue passengers stranded during a power outage on QE2.
Shipbuilding fans will enjoy visiting the shipyards to observe the construction of Song of America in 1981 and the lengthening of Royal Viking Star several months later. Those interested in the architecture of cruise ships will enjoy learning how ships were converted from "indoor" transatlantic liners to "outdoor" cruising vessels.
Mr. Maxtone-Graham’s text is enhanced by numerous photographs taken over a 90-year period. Images of swimming pools and promenade decks are especially appealing, as are the many pictures that show off the ships’ profiles.
Liners to the Sun was originally published in 1985, and was reissued in 2000 with an up-to-date introduction by the author. However, all of the cruises depicted in the current edition took place before the book’s original publication date. While consistent with the intent of the author, I would have liked to have also read Mr. Maxtone-Graham’s firsthand impressions of today’s megaships and the trend towards more casual, individualized cruising.
Still, Liners to the Sun is an excellent work, and should certainly enhance the future cruising experiences of its readers. I highly recommend it to anyone who agrees with the author that "the best islands in the Caribbean have propellers."
Originally published by the reviewer in Sealetter Cruise Magazine, April 2001
The author’s intent was for the reader to gain a better appreciation of what today’s cruises have to offer by studying their origins on earlier cruises and crossings. He accomplishes this through delightful, engaging accounts of actual voyages, as seen by the passengers and crew who experienced them.
Endure a storm on Friesland in 1895, chronicled in a passenger-run newspaper, and attend a passenger reunion on land one year later. Join the Ochs family on Victoria Luise in 1913 to explore the nearly completed Panama Canal, and call on Caribbean ports via a convoy of the ship’s lifeboats. Journey from New York to Rio on the legendary Normandie in 1938, and revel in the antics of the crossing-the-line ceremony. Relive several of the author’s own cruises of the 1980s, including a trip to the Caribbean on the Norway during her inaugural season, the Far East portion of a Rotterdam world cruise, Alaska on Fairsea, and a transatlantic repositioning cruise via the North Cape on Royal Viking Sea.
Observe what goes on behind the scenes of a cruise ship. Spend a day with a cabin steward, and see the precursors of today’s popular "towel animals." Learn the origins of the Captain’s Dinner. Witness the camaraderie that exists at sea, as Sea Venture (today’s Pacific Princess) was called upon to rescue passengers stranded during a power outage on QE2.
Shipbuilding fans will enjoy visiting the shipyards to observe the construction of Song of America in 1981 and the lengthening of Royal Viking Star several months later. Those interested in the architecture of cruise ships will enjoy learning how ships were converted from "indoor" transatlantic liners to "outdoor" cruising vessels.
Mr. Maxtone-Graham’s text is enhanced by numerous photographs taken over a 90-year period. Images of swimming pools and promenade decks are especially appealing, as are the many pictures that show off the ships’ profiles.
Liners to the Sun was originally published in 1985, and was reissued in 2000 with an up-to-date introduction by the author. However, all of the cruises depicted in the current edition took place before the book’s original publication date. While consistent with the intent of the author, I would have liked to have also read Mr. Maxtone-Graham’s firsthand impressions of today’s megaships and the trend towards more casual, individualized cruising.
Still, Liners to the Sun is an excellent work, and should certainly enhance the future cruising experiences of its readers. I highly recommend it to anyone who agrees with the author that "the best islands in the Caribbean have propellers."
Originally published by the reviewer in Sealetter Cruise Magazine, April 2001
November 18, 2020
"Liners to the Sun" bills itself as a history of ocean cruising, but in the end it is really a very liberal scattering of the author's personal reminiscences mixed with a model train hobbyist's obsession with minutiae. Add to that Maxtone-Graham's maximalist, pretentious prose, and you have what should have been a leisurely read becoming an interminable, four-hundred and fifty page slog.
It's not without its merits, but they're buried in the thickets of verbiage, modifiers, and overly-precious loanwords to which I previously alluded. There are some good photos, decoupage pieces, and assorted ephemera that recall the romantic days of the steamer puffing its way across the icy blue-back stretches of the Atlantic. Some of the anecdotes produce a chuckle, and the travails of those unlucky enough to be on some of the more ill-fated voyages were related in harrowing detail.
But all in all this one tried my patience more than it widened my store of knowledge. Not recommended.
It's not without its merits, but they're buried in the thickets of verbiage, modifiers, and overly-precious loanwords to which I previously alluded. There are some good photos, decoupage pieces, and assorted ephemera that recall the romantic days of the steamer puffing its way across the icy blue-back stretches of the Atlantic. Some of the anecdotes produce a chuckle, and the travails of those unlucky enough to be on some of the more ill-fated voyages were related in harrowing detail.
But all in all this one tried my patience more than it widened my store of knowledge. Not recommended.
June 7, 2020
A fascinating book. Although the edition I completed was written in 1985, it is a timeless expose of life at sea, and the fantastic experience of cruising. Additionally, it is interesting that the power outages, etc, and other accidents on cruises aren't much different then what happens today. I learned a lot about origin of nautical terms and traditions.
Perhaps most interesting was the final chapter on NCL's newest concept, the Phoenix, a 250,000 ton mega ship-and the eerie similarities this mega ship concept has to the NCL Epic , (which of course came out more then 20 years later).
A wonderful book-a must read for those who love cruising.
Perhaps most interesting was the final chapter on NCL's newest concept, the Phoenix, a 250,000 ton mega ship-and the eerie similarities this mega ship concept has to the NCL Epic , (which of course came out more then 20 years later).
A wonderful book-a must read for those who love cruising.
November 12, 2022
A fascinating sometimes amusing glimpse into cruises. Kind of interesting to see where he thought the future of cruising would go given this was written in the 80s. The language is a bit dated and he still goes on a bit about dimensions etc of the ships not as bad as The Only Way to Cross though. It's still a fun look into life on board ship. From the boredom of a long world cruise to the various mishaps that occur like the lady who was certain her repair to a cabin wall caused the ship to capsize to the harrowing fire on the Prisendam, to the filtration between crew and passengers however forbidden it might be. Despite things that can go wrong it's still a fun look at cruise life.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews