Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

Hero in the footnotes : the life and times of Richard Cadman Etches : entrepreneur and British spy /Michael Etches. "The book tells the story of Richard Cadman Etches, born in Warwickshire in 1753, who left home while still a youth to seek his fortune in London. He set up a successful liquor and wine importing business and soon acquired his own ship to deal directly with European suppliers. When, in 1784, news came from James Cook's fatal expedition that huge profits could be made from buying sea otter pelts from local tribes on the North Pacific coast of America and selling them in China, he seized his opportunity and set up a trading base in Nootka Sound. Unfortunately, one of his vessels was captured by Spanish forces who believed they controlled the coast, and this almost led to a war with Britain. Richard then became a full time British agent during the turbulent times of the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars and, among his many exploits was the organisation of Sir Sidney Smith's escape from a Paris gaol. He died in penury in a debtors' prison in London in 1817."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 942.07092

Indentured labor, Caribbean sugar: Chinese and Indian migrants to the British West Indies, 1838-1918 /Walton Look Lai ; introduction by Sidney W. Mintz. " ... Offers the first comprehensive study of Asian immigration and the indenture system in the entire British West Indies -- with particular emphasis on the experiences of indentured laborers in the major receiving colonies of British Guiana, Trinidad, and Jamaica. Exploring living and working conditions as well as the makeup of immigrant communities and their cultures, Look Lai offers a "dialectical pluralist" model of Caribbean acculturation that contrasts with the more familiar "melting pot" or "pure pluralist" model."--Publisher's description. [1993] • BOOK • 1 copy available. 306.3/63

Brass from the past : brass made, used and traded from prehistoric times to 1800 /Vanda Morton "Brass from the Past is not only a history of the use and production of brass, but more broadly an insight into the journey of this important metal in the context of a changing and modernising world. The book follows the evolution of brass from its earliest forms around 2500 BC through to industrialised production in the eighteenth century. The story is told in the context of the people, economies, cultures, trade and technologies that have themselves defined the alloy and its spread around the world. It explores innovations, such as the distillation of zinc, that have improved the quality and ease of production. From national or religious priorities to exhaustion of raw material supplies, the themes from the past are echoed in our own world today. In the later centuries, the book shines a light on some of the more personal aspects of people, businesses and relationships that have influenced industry and its progress. Above all the book reflects the enthusiasm, not just of the author, but of all brass enthusiasts across the world. The search for information has involved scrambling down Bohemian ravines, stumbling over brass-works debris under trees, and studying pre-civil-war artefacts in Virginia. Academics and experts from across the world have provided information, from China to Qatar and the USA to the Czech Republic. Brass is a strong and attractive metal, which has been used to create items of great beauty and utility. It is hoped that the reader will come to value the qualities of this material which has become a passion for so many people around the world."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. txt

Oceans odyssey : deep-sea shipwrecks in the English Channel, Straits of Gibraltar & Atlantic Ocean /edited by Greg Stemm & Sean Kingsley. 2010. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 930.26(204)

An account of an embassy to the court of the Teshoo Lama in Tibet : containing a narrative of a journey through Bootan, and part of Tibet /by Captain Samuel Turner ; to which are added views taken on the spot, by Lieutenant Samuel Davis. "In 1774 the Teshoo Lama, Regent of Tibet and Guardian to the infant Dalai Lama, received a deputation from the Governor of Bengal, headed by Mr George Bogle, with whom the Teshoo Lama was much taken. This warm relationship led in 1779 to an invitation from the Teshoo Lama to join him in Pekin where he was visiting at the solicitation of the Emperor of China. Unfortunately the exciting prospects afforded by this visit were concluded by the untimely deaths through illness of both the Teshoo Lama and George Bogle. Not wishing to forgo the relationship that had been built up, a second deputation was sent to Tibet under the command of Captain Samuel Turner and this is his narrative of that journey and his time in Bootan and Tibet. He provides an extensive report on this fascinating people including his meetings with the reincarnated infant Lama, and sketches of the country are provided by Lieutenant Samuel Davis with observations of botanical, mineralogical and medical nature added by the Surgeon, Mr Robert Saunders."-- Publishers website. 1806 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(541.31)"1783/1793"

Moby-duck : the true story of 28,000 bath toys lost at sea /Donovan Hohn. "When Donovan Hohn first heard the remarkable story of how 28,904 bath toys spilled into the Pacific en route to the US from China and have been washing up along beaches throughout the world ever since, he decided to find out more and assumed he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to some beachcombers and read up on Arctic science and geography. Setting out on a series of journeys to track the renegade rubber ducks, Moby-Duck is an adventure into the heart of the sea through science, myth, the global economy and some of the worst weather imaginable, and the riveting story of an accidental odyssey which pulled Hohn into the secretive world of shipping conglomerates, the daring terrain of Arctic researchers, the lunatic risks of maverick sailors, and the shadowy domain of Chinese toy factories. With each new discovery, Hohn learns of another loose thread, and with each successive chase he comes closer to understanding where his castaway quarry comes from (and where it is heading...). In the grand tradition of Tony Horwitz and David Quammen, Moby-Duck is a compulsively readable narrative of whimsy and curiosity for anyone who is interested in obsession, travel, plastic, and that great American novel, Moby-Dick."--Dust jacket. c2011. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 577.472(26):628.515

Titanic : the ship magnificent /Bruce Beveridge ... [et al.] ; edited by Art Braunschweiger. While everyone knows the new White Star liner was the most glamorous and was full of millionaires when she sank, few appreciate just how luxurious she was. Even in Third Class, the accommodation was better than on First Class on many older ships. For the first time, Bruce Beveridge, Steve Hall and Scott Andrews look at the ship itself, and at her interior design and fittings. From cobalt blue Spode china and Elkington plate silverware in the a la carte restaurant to the design of the boilers and fixtures and fittings onboard the world's most luxurious vessel, they tell the story of a liner built at the peak of the race between the British, French and Germans to build bigger and better ships. --from publisher description 2008. • FOLIO • 2 copies available. 656.61.085.3TITANIC

Merchant adventurers : the voyage of discovery that transformed Tudor England /by James Evans. "In the spring of 1553 three ships sailed north-east from London into uncharted waters. The scale of their ambition was breathtaking. Drawing on the latest navigational science and the new spirit of enterprise and discovery sweeping the Tudor capital, they sought a northern passage to Asia and its riches. The success of the expedition depended on its two leaders: Sir Hugh Willoughby, a brave gentleman soldier, and Richard Chancellor, a brilliant young scientist and practical man of the sea. When their ships became separated in a storm, each had to fend for himself. Their fates were sharply divided. One returned to England, to recount extraordinary tales of the imperial court of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The tragic, mysterious story of the other two ships has to be pieced together through the surviving captain's log book, after he and his crew became lost and trapped by the advancing Arctic winter. This long neglected endeavour was one of the boldest in British history, and its impact was profound. Although the 'merchant adventurers' failed to reach China as they had hoped, their achievements would lay the foundations for England's expansion on a global stage. As James Evans' vivid account shows, their voyage also makes for a gripping story of daring, discovery, tragedy and adventure."--Provided by the publisher. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(987)"1553"

The Portuguese in the East : A cultural history of a maritime trading empire /Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya "Vasco da Gama's voyage to India in the late 15th Century opened up new economic and cultural horizons for the Portuguese. At the height of Portugal's maritime influence, it had created an oceanic state ranging from the Cape of Good Hope to China. While Portugal's direct political influence in Asia was comparatively short-lived, its linguistic influence remains. Here Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya charts the influences of the Portuguese in more than fifty Asian tongues, illustrating the extent of Lusitanian links. Luso-Asian influence became engrained in eastern cultures in more subtle ways than other European empires which followed, such as the Portuguese oral traditions in folk literature, now embedded in postcolonial Asian music and song. These Portuguese cultural legacies are a lasting reminder of an unexpected outcome of seaborne commerce."--Provided by the publisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 946.9

Atlas : a world of maps from the British Library /Tom Harper. "From the publication in 1595 of the first 'atlas' by Flemish cartographer Gerhard Mercator, the term has become a universally adopted title for books containing accurate, uniform, and evenly spread maps of all or some of the world. This is an atlas with a difference. Few of the maps in this book could reasonably be called 'accurate' in the modern sense and could almost certainly not be used to plan a journey. Yet this atlas can help us to travel in a way that regular atlases do not, because by looking at old maps and getting to know their stories we can be transported back to the times in which they were made.The generous, full-colour illustrations of each map in this book range from the Klencke Atlas to Hokusai's Map of China, from a 1682 pirate map of Guatemala to 20th-century cartographic postcards featuring maps of Australia. Atlas is the definitive printed showcase of the British Library's extensive and unparalleled map collection.About the Author: Tom Harper is Lead Curator of Antiquarian Maps at the British Library. His publications include the British Library exhibition catalogue Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line, and A History of the Twentieth Century in 100 Maps, which he co-authored in 2014."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 912.44(100)

Sailor in the desert : the adventures of Phillip Gunn, DSM, RN in the Mesopotamia Campaign, 1915 /David Gunn. "Sailor in the Desert is the personal account of a Royal Navy sailor's experiences during the Mesopotamian campaign of 1915. As an able seaman on an armed sloop supporting the British expedition up the River Tigris, Philip Gunn's recollections give a rare perspective of this ill-fated campaign. At the outbreak of war, Phillip Gunn was serving on HMS Clio, a naval sloop fitted with sails and guns stationed in China and immediately tasked with hunting the soon-to-be-famous German cruiser Emden, but failed to prevent her escape. Gunn and Clio were next in action defending the Suez Canal against an attempted Turkish invasion before joining the expedition to invade Turkish-held Mesopotamia (Iraq). When the River Tigris became too shallow for Clio, Gunn took over a Calcutta River Police launch. He towed improvised gunboats to bombard the enemy in close support of the advancing land forces, whose assaults on enemy positions he witnessed. Though he repeatedly came under fire, it was malaria which finally struck him down during the pivotal Battle of Ctesiphon. He was fortunate to survive the journey back downriver. Sailor in the Desert is an authentic account drawn from Phillip Gunn's unpublished memoirs as well as conversations with the author, his son David. It is illustrated with archive photographs and colour paintings by Philip Gunn himself."--Provided by the publisher. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92GUNN

The Crimean War in Imperial Context, 1854-1856 / Andrew C. Rath. "The Crimean War was fought far from its namesake peninsula in Ukraine. Until now, accounts of Britain's and France's naval campaigns against Czarist Russia in the Baltic, White Sea, and Pacific have remained fragmented, minimized, or thinly-referenced. This book considers each campaign from an imperial perspective extending from South America to Finland. Ultimately, this regionally-focused approach reveals that even the smallest Anglo-French naval campaigns in the remote White Sea had significant consequences in fields ranging from medical advances to international maritime law. Considering the perspectives of neutral powers, including China, Japan, and Sweden-Norway, allows Rath to examine the Crimean conflict's impact on major historical events ranging from the "opening" of Tokugawa Japan to Russia's annexation of large swaths of Chinese territory. Complete with customized maps and an extensive reference section, this will become essential reading for a varied audience."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.48"1853/1856"(477.7)

Administering the Empire, 1801-1968 : a guide to the records of the Colonial Office in the National Archives of the UK /Mandy Banton. "The handbook on colonial records at The National Archives prepared by Mandy Banton serves at least three important and useful purposes. First and foremost it is a new and extensively revised guide that takes fully into account records that have become accessible in recent decades, together with corrected and expanded lists of earlier eras. It covers the Colonial Office's relations with other government departments, including the Admiralty, the Cabinet Office, the Foreign Office, the Prime Minister's Office, the Treasury and the War Office.[...]A second function of the guide is historical perspective and comprehensive coverage of complicated and extensive lists of documents. Those using the handbook will be able to trace records on the evolution of the War and Colonial Office of the early 19th century and the creation of the geographical departments. [...] The third useful aspect of the handbook is its range and depth of historical detail. It is a historical work in its own right. It comments usefully on the 'informal' as well as the formal British empire and reveals the extent to which the Colonial Office was involved in the affairs of China, Argentina and Egypt, even listing, in Foreign Office records, the papers of Lord Cromer. It defines as well as guides. [...]"--Adapted from the Foreword. c2008. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 930.25

Maritime men of the Asia-Pacific : true-blue internationals navigating labour rights, 1906-2006 /Diane Kirkby with Lee-Ann Monk and Dmytro Ostapenko. "Maritime workers occupy a central place in global labour history. This new and compelling account from Australia, shows seafaring and waterside unions engaged in a shared history of activism for legally regulated wages and safe liveable conditions for all who go to sea. Maritime Men of the South Pacific provides a corrective to studies which overlook this region's significance as a provider of the world's maritime labour force and where unions have a rich history of reaching across their differences to forge connections in solidarity. From the 'militant young Australian' Harry Bridges whose progressive unionism transformed the San Francisco waterfront, to Australia's successful implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, this is a story of vision and leadership on the international stage. Unionists who saw themselves as internationalists were also operating within a national and imperial framework where conflicting interests and differences of race and ideology had to be overcome. Union activists in India, China and Japan struggled against indentured labour and 'coolie' standards. They linked with their fellow-unionists in pursuing an ideal of international labour rights against the power of shipowners and anti-union governments. This is a complex story of endurance, cooperation and conflict and its empowering legacy."--Provided by the publisher. 2022. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 331.88113875091648

Maritime empires : British imperial maritime trade in the nineteenth century /edited by David Killingray, Margarette Lincoln, and Nigel Rigby. 2004. • BOOK • 2 copies available. 910.4"18"

Green smarties : tales of a navy wife /Mary Collingwood Hurst. "After 20 years of involvement with the Navy, which ended in the late 1980s, I can identify an aircraft carrier or a submarine; but anything in between is a blur of grey metal with a pointy end and a blunt end. Except for RFA TIDESURGE which, without any qualifications, I was allowed to steer across the South China Sea for five hours in a moment of madness. That is a ship whose shape and size I will always be able to remember. Sadly she no longer exists and has long been sent to a ships' graveyard to be reduced to razor blades. But I have immense pride that for a while I was on the periphery of the Senior Service and shared life with someone involved in the defence of our country, wardroom rugby, RPCs (Request Pleasure of the Company). In other words alcoholic orgies. With him I endured brushes with the KGB, Special Branch, MI5 & MI6 (not all at once of course). There were sudden surprises such as my husband being sent to the Antarctic for eight months when baby number two was imminent or finding myself in Singapore unofficially and living in a tiny flat in a Chinese village and working in the Navy Base. We were there for the final year of history before the British Forces withdrew forever on the 31 October 1971. Life was never dull and spanned many adventures juggling three children and taking care of the home-made wine while he was away. Or jumping on a plane with a child under each arm to join him on an unaccompanied post in Hong Kong for months. Without the sisterhood of Navy wives, some of whose stories are included in this book, life would have been much more arduous."--Provided by the author 2014. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 359:316.811.1

A soldier gone to sea : memoir of a Royal Marine in both world wars /Charles Frederic Jerram "In this memoir spanning nine decades, Lieutenant Colonel C.F. Jerram (1882-1969) of the Royal Marines recounts his life and military service through both world wars. Jerram describes in candid detail his late 19th-century childhood in Devon and Cornwall, the late Victorian and Edwardian Royal Navy, the Royal Navy's Far East Station, a traditional Corps of Marines, the Gallipoli Campaign, the World War I Western Front and the interwar and World War II years. His experience and insight convey two fundamental lessons: "Know thy profession and look after those for whom you are responsible." An essay by the editor, based on other sources, provides a broader perspective on Jerram, whose approach to professional military service is still pertinent today."--Provided by publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92JERRAM

No Pyrrhic victories : the 1918 raids on Zeebrugge and Ostend - a radical reappraisal /E.C. Coleman ; foreword by Admiral The Lord Boyce, Warden of the Cinque Ports. "In early 1918, it seemed to many that the British people and the Allies were close to defeat. At home, the chief culprit was the German U-boat. Sailing almost unopposed from the North Sea ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend, the submarines were taking a heavy toll on Allied shipping, and no one seemed to be doing anything about it. The job eventually went to Vice Admiral Roger Keyes, 'The Modern Nelson', who had a long record of close action with enemies from China to the Heligoland Bight. Equally, he was unafraid of those senior to him whom he considered to be incompetent. Within days of his appointment Keyes had put together an audacious plan to sink blockships in the enemy-held ports. However, his success, along with the eleven VCs won in the battles, led his detractors to play down his achievement, even by using German propaganda against him. This entirely new account, containing groundbreaking research and rare illustrations throughout, at last sets the record straight about these important engagements."--Back cover. 2014. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.458(493.3)

On the map : why the world looks the way it does /by Simon Garfield. "Maps fascinate us. They chart our understanding of the world and they log our progress, but above all they tell our stories. From the early sketches of philosophers and explorers through to Google Maps and beyond, Simon Garfield examines how maps both relate and realign our history. His compelling narratives range from the quest to create the perfect globe to the challenges of mapping Africa and Antarctica, from spellbinding treasure maps to the naming of America, from Ordnance Survery to Monopoly and Skyrim, and from rare map dealers to cartographic frauds. En route, there are 'pocket map' tales of dragons and undergrounds, a nineteenth century murder map, research on the different ways that men and women approach a map, and an explanation of the curious long-term cartographic role played by animals."--Provided by the publisher 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 528.9(100)

Pirate women : the princesses, prostitutes, and privateers who ruled the Seven Seas /Laura Sook Duncombe. "In the first-ever Seven Seas history of the world's female buccaneers, Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas tells the story of women, both real and legendary, who through the ages sailed alongside -- and sometimes in command of -- their male counterparts. These women came from all walks of life but had one thing in common: a desire for freedom. History has largely ignored these female swashbucklers, until now. Here are their stories, from ancient Norse princess Alfhild and warrior Rusla to Sayyida al-Hurra of the Barbary corsairs; from Grace O'Malley, who terrorized shipping operations around the British Isles during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; to Cheng I Sao, who commanded a fleet of four hundred ships off China in the early nineteenth century. Author Laura Sook Duncombe also looks beyond the stories to the storytellers and mythmakers. What biases and agendas motivated them? What did they leave out? Pirate Women explores why and how these stories are told and passed down, and how history changes depending on who is recording it. It's the most comprehensive overview of women pirates in one volume and chock-full of swashbuckling adventures that pull these unique women from the shadows into the spotlight that they deserve."--Provided by the publisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 341.362.1-055.2

The junks and sampans of the Yangtze : a study in Chinese nautical research Worcester, G R G 1947 • FOLIO • 4 copies available. 629.123.19(282.252.3)

River gunboats : An illustrated encylopaedia /Roger Branfill-Cook "The first recorded engagement by a steam-powered warship took place on a river, when in 1824 the Honourable East India Company?s gunboat Diana went into action on the Irrawaddy in Burma. In the 150 years that followed river gunboats played a significant part in over forty campaigns and individual actions, down to the Portuguese and American ?Brown Water? fighting in Africa and Vietnam respectively at the end of the twentieth century. They proved to be the decisive factor in operations against the Maoris, with Gordon?s Ever Victorious Army in China, during the river campaigns of the American Civil War, in the French conquest of Indochina, during Kitchener?s advance on Khartoum, and on the Rufiji and Tigris during the Great War. River gunboats fought for the Paris Commune, on the rivers of South America, against the Bolsheviks, and during the Second World War in the open waters of the Mediterranean, while armoured Soviet gunboats fought German Panzers, and a pair of ?Girls? attacked the Japanese on the banks of the Irrawaddy. This lavishly illustrated encyclopaedia describes vessels of every nation designed as river gunboats, plus those converted river steamers which took part in combat. Maps of the river systems where they operated are included, together with narratives of the principal actions involving river gunboats. Their story is brought up-to-date with data on current riverine combat vessels in service today."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.824

The Victoria Cross wars : battles, campaigns and conflicts of all the VC heroes /Brian Best. "The British Empire at its height stretched around the globe. From Asia to the Americas, scores of countries were conquered or assimilated into the greatest commonwealth of nations in history. Many of these countries were won, and held, at the point of the bayonet, and British soldiers and sailors fought long and hard campaigns in deserts, mountains and jungles to maintain and expand the Empire. Fighting, though, means bloodshed; it also means bravery. Victoria Crosses were awarded in operations against Persia, Abyssinia and China, in New Zealand, Burma and Sudan, in the Perak War, the Andaman Islands Expedition and the Mashona Rebellion to name but a few of the forty-four different campaigns of the colonial era. The Victoria Cross Wars explains Britains involvement in these little-known and forgotten campaigns and details the battles and engagements that resulted in the granting of the most highly regarded award for valour in the face of the enemy. The greater conflicts of the twentieth century receive due treatment as do more recent operations in the troubled parts of the world. A total of 1,358 VCs have been awarded since the cross of valour was first instituted in 1855, the latest of which was announced in February 2015. The stories behind the awarding of these medals have been repeated in countless anthologies but The Victoria Cross Wars explains not just what the men did, but why they were there and what they were fighting for."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.134.22(42)VC

Ships, shawls and loyal service : the stories of three East Anglian brothers /David Blakely. "Ships, Shawls and Loyal Service details the history of three 19th century brothers, each of whom saw some success in his chosen occupation, but each quite distinct from the others in what he achieved. Inspired by the extensive family tree drawn up in the early 20th century by one of his great-uncles, David Blakely relates the stories of his three ancestors. With strong roots in rural Suffolk, the three Blakely brothers were born at the end of the 18th century into a long-established family. Their ancestors had been gentlemen farmers, but none of the brothers followed that occupation. The eldest spent a year as a midshipman in the Royal Navy and six years as an officer in the Army, before becoming involved in a rural church community in north Norfolk. The second served as an officer on East India Company ships, sailing to India and China and finally being promoted to captain. The youngest brother lived in Norwich and became a well-respected retailer and manufacturer in the textile trade. Ships, Shawls and Loyal Service is a fascinating insight into the lives of three brothers, each of whom took a very different path in life. Early history of the brothers' family is also explored, including their grandfather's business as proprietor of a stage-coach company in Ipswich and his acquaintance with the artist Thomas Gainsborough. This book will appeal to those interested in East Anglian life and trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. Readers interested in naval and military actions in Napoleonic times and in sailing between England and the Far East will also find this a valuable account."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 929.52

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