The first ever history of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s forgotten first ship, the SS Great Western, the fastest and largest Atlantic Steamship of its day.

The story of Brunel's most famous ship and the people who knew her, using new archive sources

Isambard Kingdom Brunel created a number of quite revolutionary steamships - the Great Western which was the first practical transatlantic paddle-steamer; the Great Britain, the first iron-built screw-driven liner; and the monster Great Eastern which remained the largest ship in the world for almost half a century. Besides these well-known wonders of the maritime world, Brunel also worked with the Admiralty on the introduction of the screw propeller into naval service.

During the nineteenth century, the roughest but most important ocean passage in the world lay between Britain and the United States. Bridging the Atlantic Ocean by steamship was a defining, remarkable feat of the era. Over time, Atlantic steamships became the largest, most complex machines yet devised. They created a new transatlantic world of commerce and travel, reconciling former Anglo-American enemies and bringing millions of emigrants who transformed the United States. In Transatlantic, the experience of crossing the Atlantic is re-created in stunning detail from the varied perspectives of first class, steerage, officers, and crew. The dynamic evolution of the Atlantic steamer is traced from Brunel's Great Western of 1838 to Cunard's Mauretania of 1907, the greatest steamship ever built.

Robin Jones' history of the Great Western Railway line and its founding father.

An innovative account of the trials and tribulations of first-generation Victorian mail steamship lines, their passengers and the public.

The authors' text and illustrations provide a vivid picture of how the well-established traditions of the sailing ship were adapted to promote the development of the paddle ships and the early screw vessels.