Great Sea Stories

"The theme of the sea is heroic--epic. Since the first stirrings of the imagination of man the sea has enthralled him; and since the dawn of literature he has chronicled his wanderings upon its vast bosom." Joseph Lewis French collected what he considered the best sea stories of literature into this volume.

Connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea has been for millennia the place where religions, economies, and political systems met, clashed, influenced and absorbed one another. In this brilliant and expansive book, David Abulafia offers a fresh perspective by focusing on the sea itself: its practical importance for transport and sustenance; its dynamic role in the rise and fall of empires; and the remarkable cast of characters-sailors, merchants, migrants, pirates, pilgrims-who have crossed and re-crossed it. Ranging from prehistory to the 21st century, The Great Sea is above all a history of human interaction. Interweaving major political and naval developments with the ebb and flow of trade, Abulafia explores how commercial competition in the Mediterranean created both rivalries and partnerships, with merchants acting as intermediaries between cultures, trading goods that were as exotic on one side of the sea as they were commonplace on the other. He stresses the remarkable ability of Mediterranean cultures to uphold the civilizing ideal of convivencia, "living together." Now available in paperback, The Great Sea is the definitive account of perhaps the most vibrant theater of human interaction in history.

Stories, some fictional, some factual, about the ocean frontiers, chosen to "leave the beaten track of the yo-heave-ho school of sea fiction ... and include other facets of sea life than the tough-guy fellows."

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Following the success of his #1 New York Times bestseller Make Your Bed, which has sold over one million copies, Admiral William H. McRaven is back with amazing stories of bravery and heroism during his career as a Navy SEAL and commander of America's Special Operations Forces. Admiral William H. McRaven is a part of American military history, having been involved in some of the most famous missions in recent memory, including the capture of Saddam Hussein, the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips, and the raid to kill Osama bin Laden. Sea Stories begins in 1963 at a French Officers' Club in France, where Allied officers and their wives gathered to have drinks and tell stories about their adventures during World War II-the place where a young Bill McRaven learned the value of a good story. Sea Stories is an unforgettable look back on one man's incredible life, from childhood days sneaking into high-security military sites to a day job of hunting terrorists and rescuing hostages. Action-packed, humorous, and full of valuable life lessons like those exemplified in McRaven's bestselling Make Your Bed, Sea Stories is a remarkable memoir from one of America's most accomplished leaders.

Das wohl größte Unglück der modernen Schifffahrt, der Zusammenstoß der Titanic mit einem Eisberg im Nordatlantik im Jahre 1912, ist beispiellos in der Geschichte. Diese Kathastrophe, bei der weit mehr als die Hälfte der Passagiere den Tod fanden, hinterließ Fragen und Zweifel, aber auch ein Apell an Konstrukteure und Kapitäne. Denn wäre etwas weniger Größenwahn und Leichtsinn und mehr Vorsicht und Respekt vor dem Meer und seinen Tücken Antrieb für die Fahrt der Titanic gewesen, sie hätte Amerika planmäßig erreichen können. Das vorliegende Buch von Logan Marshall enthält spannende Geschichten über dieses Unglück wie auch weiterer Schiffsunglücke, welche ungemein packend und authentisch erzählt sind und somit bis heute interessantes Lesematerial darstellen. Hierbei handelt es sich um eine englischsprachige Ausgabe.