First Class: Legendary Ocean Liner Voyages Around the World Hardcover - 2009

From the publisher

Not so long ago, magnificent ocean liners--unmatched in opulence by today's vessels--sailed the seas from New York to Rio, Alexandria to Marseilles, and from Southampton to Singapore. In this enchanting book, presented in a slipcase made to resemble a battered steamer trunk, these legendary ships--The Normandie, The Mauretania, and The Majestic --are gloriously resurrected through photographs, posters, watercolors, advertising art, memorabilia, and more. First Class: Legendary Ocean Liner Voyages Around the World leads readers on an illustrated tour of these great liners, from glamorous dining rooms and gleaming table services to elaborate staterooms and exquisite salons. Divided into six fantastic journeys, First Class is an unparalleled celebration of the elegance, sophistication, and comfort of a bygone era in ocean travel. "First Class: Legendary Ocean Liner Voyages Around the World engaged me from the get-go, its slender landscape-oriented format, as sleek and elegant as an ocean liner. Gerard Piouffre's masterful blend of photographs, history, and ocean liner lore effortlessly transported me--an unabashed sentimentalist--right back to the nostalgic heyday of ocean liner travel. Would that it were possible to book passage on each of the voyages mapped out." Stephen Lash, Chairman of Christie's, North and South America and founder of the Ocean Liner Museum "Conjuring a leisurely world of ocean travel unhaunted by icebergs or any other perils of the deep." Stephen Heyman, The Moment/NYT

"(Gerard Piouffre) provides a beautiful overview of historic vessels that once journeyed across our oceans." Elodie Noulin-Merat, Metro "It's a book that makes a terrific holiday gift for anyone who loves boats, cruises, history . . . ." Alison Wellner, Luxist
"Fascinating." The Perceptive Travel Blog "A trawl through First Class makes one yearn for an era when getting there, as the slogan had it, was half the fun." The Globe and Mail: Books

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