Shipping - Italy: Illustrated History Books & Guides

Italian Liners of the 1960s - The Costanzi Quartet

'Functionality is never an excuse for poor design' said the naval architect Nicolò Costanzi, a man whose synthesis of engineering and artistry created practical ships of sublime beauty.
This book tells the story of the four large passenger ships conceived by Costanzi in the late 1950s and early 1960s. These designs incorporated the most celebrated elements of his work and perhaps reflect the man at the very height of his powers.
The 'Costanzi Quartet' comprised:
- Lloyd Triestino's stylish emigrant carriers Galileo Galilei and Guglielmo Marconi
- Home Lines' groundbreaking Oceanic
- and Costa's speed queen, Eugenio C.

Packed with superb rare and previously unpublished illustrations, Ian Sebire looks at the defining works of the great Italian naval architect Nicolo Costanzi.

Product details

Masters of the Italian Line - Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raffaello

The 1960s witnessed a magnificent, if misguided, swansong for the ocean liner. As the decade progressed a steady succession of elaborate new 'ships of state' populated the world's sea lanes, in futile defiance of the vapour trails above them.
Into this atmosphere of one-upmanship the Italian Line introduced Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raffaello, the largest, fastest and most prestigious passenger liners in the nation's post-war merchant marine.

Named after the Renaissance masters, this book tells their stories, from troubled inception to heart-rending finale. It explains their design origins and interior décor, relates the triumph and tragedy of their all-too-brief careers and provides an insight into what it was like to live, work and take passage on these vessels, each with their own special personality.
Profusely illustrated throughout, this book pays tribute to the ships and the people who brought them to life.

Product details

Great Mediterranean Passenger Ships

It is hard to think of the passenger liners from the golden era of Mediterranean cruising without also conjuring the nostalgic, dream-like vision of azure-blue waters, bright sunshine and swimming pools with clusters of umbrellas and sunbathing passengers.

The great age of Mediterranean passenger liners began in the 1920s when the Italians built their first big ships, such as the Augustus, Saturnia and Conte Grande. In the 1930s, things got really interesting with the creation of the superliners Rex and Conte di Savoia.
In the 1950s and '60s, as Italy built a huge post-war fleet, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Israel commissioned their biggest ships yet.

William Miller has written ninety books on passenger ships and is an acknowledged world expert in his field.
Full of colour and the first-hand memories of passengers and crew, this endearing reflection on the majestic world of Mediterranean travel cannot be missed. Quick, the whistles are sounding!

Product details