Shipwrecks are tragic, but have been a part of human history since we started making ships. There are an estimated three million ships sitting on the bottom of the oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers of the world. Of that staggering number, Stewart Gordon picked sixteen to tell the story of human history.
A History of the World in Sixteen Shipwrecks does not tell the story of the most famous wrecks. From the cover, you may think the Titanic makes the list. It does not. There are a few shipwrecks that you will recognize, but most you will not. The book explores how small local maritime travels merged into larger and larger networks of human activity. Technology and finance are the main driving forces.
The one oversight I think is missing from the collection is a container ship. The use of containers and the ships that carry them are main driving force for international commerce. China would not be the global behemoth it has become, if not for the cheap, easy shipping through container ships.
Regardless, the book is well-written and enjoyable to read. Although I was skeptical of the premise, Mr. Gordon does a remarkable job of putting large swaths of history into focus through these sixteen shipwrecks.
The publisher provided a copy of the book for me to review.