Uploaded October 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Your correspondent has a very soft spot for ocean liners, specifically Cunarders, with whom he sailed back and forth between Canada and England on boarding school holidays while still a boy in shorts. Travelling solo to Southampton in one direction, and Montreal in the other, sporting an identity chain around his neck, the pampering that ensued was almost as indelible as the sturdy ships themselves (RMS Franconia, Ascania and Carinthia come immediately to mind).
The fabled house of Cunard has undergone many a metamorphosis since, none more so than in the commissioning of the largest transatlantic liner afloat: a ship whose vital statistics are little short of stupefying. Built in France, and launched in 2003, Queen Mary 2, known colloquially by her initials like her equally elegant sister, Queen Elizabeth 2, cost over a billion dollars in today's terms to build, beggaring her predecessors and instantly setting a standard that almost eclipsed her peers.
23 stories high, 4 city blocks long and 160,000 tonnes in weight, this magnificent creature contains no less than 13 decks and as many restaurants, with facilities to accommodate 2600 guests and 1300 staff: one for every 2 when sailing with a full complement.
John Maxtone-Graham's account concentrates on the social, architectural and historical side, with hundreds of photos to match; while Philip Plisson's focusses on her construction. The latter, however, is no less riveting (as it were), and includes over 300 colour shots of QM2's evolution, from first steel plate to last.
Depending on one's interest - elegant travel or inspired engineering (or both) - these two books are as beautiful and definitive as the noble ship herself.
More travel video book reviews at:
bookreviewsandvideos.com/category/travel
Your correspondent has a very soft spot for ocean liners, specifically Cunarders, with whom he sailed back and forth between Canada and England on boarding school holidays while still a boy in shorts. Travelling solo to Southampton in one direction, and Montreal in the other, sporting an identity chain around his neck, the pampering that ensued was almost as indelible as the sturdy ships themselves (RMS Franconia, Ascania and Carinthia come immediately to mind).
The fabled house of Cunard has undergone many a metamorphosis since, none more so than in the commissioning of the largest transatlantic liner afloat: a ship whose vital statistics are little short of stupefying. Built in France, and launched in 2003, Queen Mary 2, known colloquially by her initials like her equally elegant sister, Queen Elizabeth 2, cost over a billion dollars in today's terms to build, beggaring her predecessors and instantly setting a standard that almost eclipsed her peers.
23 stories high, 4 city blocks long and 160,000 tonnes in weight, this magnificent creature contains no less than 13 decks and as many restaurants, with facilities to accommodate 2600 guests and 1300 staff: one for every 2 when sailing with a full complement.
John Maxtone-Graham's account concentrates on the social, architectural and historical side, with hundreds of photos to match; while Philip Plisson's focusses on her construction. The latter, however, is no less riveting (as it were), and includes over 300 colour shots of QM2's evolution, from first steel plate to last.
Depending on one's interest - elegant travel or inspired engineering (or both) - these two books are as beautiful and definitive as the noble ship herself.
More travel video book reviews at:
bookreviewsandvideos.com/category/travel
