by Andrew Gladwell

There is a huge following among enthusiasts and the general public for the old paddle steamers that were once a familiar sight in British waters, both inland and around the coast. To cater for this interest the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society has collected a huge amount of material relating to the paddle steamers – posters, photographs, postcards, publicity material, film and recorded material. The author, a leading member of the Society has put together a timeless history of these distinctive, colourful and hardworking little ships. The world famous Waverley is the last active ocean going paddle steamer in existence and draws huge crowds around the country, providing a glimpse of a bygone age of travel. The Kingswear Castle still sails around the River Dart on pleasure cruises, and the world’s smallest paddle steamer Monarch still delights passengers around the Isle of Wight.

This book explores the history of paddle steamers around Britain with a mixture of evocative photographs from the past, nostalgic period publicity material and other memorabilia, facts and figures about the paddle steamers and accounts of the experiences of those who travelled on them.

This is an excellent book and I would very highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in these historic ships.

Published by:

Hardback: 297mm x 210mm, 160 pp illustrated

Price: £25