Great French Passenger Ships by William H. Miller.

The great liners which crossed the Atlantic have always held an interest for me, quite possibly since I first heard the story of the Titanic in my youth. In recent years the history of many of these ships have come to my notice during my studies in nineteenth and twentieth century transport, including their part in the two World Wars. However the majority of those I was familiar with were owned by Cunard and White Star Lines,  so I was interested to have a look at this book which concentrates on the vessels operated by the great French shipping lines.

To be fair this the book is not just about the ships, although it is not short on specifications and descriptions, but also encompasses those who travelled on them, the decline of the transatlantic services with the increase in air travel and the move into cruise ships amongst other topics. It is also very well illustrated catching everything from the opulence of the ships, the heyday of the liners, (the sight of eight  lined up together in New York harbour in the late 1950's is unlikely to ever be seen again), to the burnt out hulks of some who finished their service abruptly.

The author opens with the Launch of the 'France' in 1912, just a few days after the sinking of the Titanic, through to the 1970's ending with the last of the great French liners, aptly also called The France which was launched in 1962. Every vessel mentioned has a history to accompany it, all of which are interesting and many quite dramatic, certainly I was stunned to find out just how many French liners caught fire over the years.

Personal recollections are used within the pages, which add a great touch of reality to the operation of the ships, I particularly enjoyed the mentions of matching sets of Louis Vuitton luggage and hefty trunks, items which are sought after to this day. War time service is also covered, with many of the liners of this period being used as troop ships it is an important part of their history, particularly as many were sunk and never returned to the shipping lines.

It is a thoughly interesting book on any level and would make a great introduction to the world of the great liners which plyed their trade during the twentieth century. What is made very clear by this informative study is that many, if not all, of the ships mentioned probably deserve a book of their own. As I mentioned earier the Titanic is undoubtably the most written about vessel in history for obvious reasons, however many of these ships led equally facinating and much longer lives.

This is an interesting and informative book, but even more importantly it is a good read. Certainly if you have an interest in the travel, society and ships of this period you will enjoy it, but even if these are not your normal requirements in a book it still has plenty going for it. If I have any complaint, apart from a few harmless proof reading errors, it is that the book is not much, much thicker and even more comprehensive, as I could certainly read more about all of these ships and their lives.

Andy