SIGNED BY THE CAPTAIN OF QM2 & ALSO BY THE AUTHOR ON AN TRANS-ATLANTIC CROSSING, p
ublished by Bulfinch, 2004, softcover, A4 format, 128 pages, condition: as new.
In January 2004, Cunard Line's latest flagship, the Queen Mary 2, sailed on her maiden voyage from England. This text documents the creation of this remarkable vessel from keel laying to christening & features colour photographs & paintings, details of design, construction, engines, interiors & sea trails.
The contents of this book are well-organized with a clear aim at presenting the whole picture of the design and construction and operation of the Queen Mary 2 in light of the many superlatives involving its size within the larger context of the company as a whole, and indeed within the larger whole of transatlantic oceanic travel. The author begins with a discussion of the challenges of designing a once-in-a-generation ocean liner like the QM2, and then discusses some corporate history about the acquisition of Cunard by Carnival Lines and the resulting goal of the parent company of burnishing the brand reputation of its once premier line. After this the author spends several chapters discussing the beginnings of Cunard in mid 19th century Canada, the contrast between early shipboard experience between the early days and the time of the Lusitania and its sister ships the early 1900s, the challenge of the Germans to Cunard superiority by virtue of their own speed and splendour, and the first three Queen ships of the Cunard line and their honorable reputation. As an aside, I had been aware of this splendour since our retired pastor had once taken a splendid journey from New York to Southampton on the Queen Mary when he travelled to the Bricket Wood campus of Ambassador College as an upperclassman and had recounted its opulence and his reflections on it as one of the most meaningful experiences of his life. After this the author discusses contemporary shipboard experience for travellers on a Cunard vessel before detailing the complicated construction of Hull #G32 on the coast of Brittany, the emergence of the Queen Mary 2 in drydock, its finale and debut, which included a tragic accident as well as an example of the Queens weather when the ship was formally christened, followed by a look at the luxurious ship life on the Queen Mary 2 for those fortunate enough to enjoy its pleasures.
In reading a well-crafted book such as this one , the reader is able to determine what separates a book that is a genuine work of art such as this one from more workmanlike books that can be read and tossed aside into a library without a second thought or a second read. For one, the book shows an admirable and consistent attention to detail, from the colour scheme of the photographs to the precision of the language used, to the obvious and even flamboyant competence of everyone involved in the writing and production of this book, to the choice of paper and the generosity shown in the friendly margins, the obvious concern to give credit freely to people ranging from Carnival corporate executives to the ship master to even the stewards and dancers that work on the ship themselves. This book manages to be both accessible as well as immensely cultured, democratic in its wide praise of all involved in the newbuilding of the Queen Mary 2 as well as being a stellar representative of an aristocratic imperial culture, even as it provides multicultural praise to the Americans, French, Norwegians, and others involved in the design, construction, and operation of this vessel, its restaurants, its turbines, its bas-reliefs and planetariums, and everything else that is involved in the conception, construction, and operation of the Queen Mary 2. This is the sort of book that one picks up because of its elegant and attractive exterior, appreciates because of the excellence of its texts and photography, buys because of its obvious value, shares with plenty of appreciative guests, and reflects upon as an example of a book that serves many interests simultaneously as a naval history and corporate history that is also a memorable work in its own right and as being evidence of the attention to detail that allows either a ship or a book to become a masterpiece.
