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A Man and His Ship: America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the S.S. United States Audiobook
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(3.99) - 69 listener ratings
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At the peak of his power, in the 1940s and 1950s, William Francis Gibbs was considered America's best naval architect. His quest to build the finest, fastest, most beautiful ocean liner of his time, the S.S. United States, was a topic of national fascination. When completed in 1952, the ship was hailed as a technological masterpiece at a time when "made in America" meant the best.
Gibbs was an American original, on par with John Roebling of the Brooklyn Bridge and Frank Lloyd Wright of Fallingwater. Forced to drop out of Harvard following his family's sudden financial ruin, he overcame debilitating shyness and lack of formal training to become the visionary creator of some of the finest ships in history. He spent forty years dreaming of the ship that became the S.S. United States.
William Francis Gibbs was driven, relentless, and committed to excellence. He loved his ship, the idea of it, and the realization of it, and he devoted himself to making it the epitome of luxury travel during the triumphant post–World War II era. Biographer Steven Ujifusa brilliantly describes the way Gibbs worked and how his vision transformed an industry. A Man and His Ship is a tale of ingenuity and enterprise, a truly remarkable journey on land and sea.
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"Great, readable work for anyone who loves anything maritime. Fascinating history of a beautiful ship and the man devoted to her."
— Abby (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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In his debut, Ujifusa harks back to a time when men were men, and transatlantic ships were serious business . . . Written with passion and thoroughness, this is a love letter to a bygone time and the ships that once ruled the seas.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review -
“Few of man’s creations possess even half the romance of the passenger ships that once steamed across the world’s oceans, especially the North Atlantic. That is why Steven Ujifusa’s A Man and His Ship is such a compelling work.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“In his debut, Ujifusa harks back to a time when men were men, and transatlantic ships were serious business…Written with passion and thoroughness, this is a love letter to a bygone time and the ships that once ruled the seas.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review -
“Ujifusa describes the construction of the ship in engrossing detail and provides informative digressions on the golden age of ocean travel, when liners carried millionaires, celebrities, and desperate refugees.”
— Booklist -
“A terrific book! By entertaining, informing and ultimately inspiring, A Man and His Ship transforms its readers into passengers traveling across an ocean and through time. A skilled verbal navigator, Steven Ujifusa has charted an efficient and yet immensely satisfying course through a sea of facts, images and stories.”
— David Macaulay, author of Cathedral, Castle, and The Way Things Work
A Man and His Ship Listener Reviews
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" Really an enjoyable well written book. My only complaint was that it could have been about 75 pages shorter. Too much detail at some points took away from a great story. "
— Mclaughlin725, 11/24/2013 -
" Great book about a great ship "
— Mike, 11/14/2012
About Steven Ujifusa
Steven Ujifusa is the author of three nonfiction books, including A Man and His Ship and Barons of the Sea. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard University and a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and has given presentations across the country and on the high seas. He is the recipient of a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, the Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence from the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York, and the Athenaeum of Philadelphia’s Literary Award.
About Pete Larkin
Pete Larkin has narrated dozens of audiobook titles, won five Earphones Awards, and been a finalist in 2012 for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He has been praised for his expert ability to speak in multiple accents. He is also an on-camera host and accomplished voice-over artist for hundreds of commercials and promos for a variety of companies, corporations, and governmental agencies. He was the public address announcer for the New York Mets and has worked as a radio jockey in New York, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.