Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast Ships, and a Journey to the New World
by David Macaulay (Author)
David Macaulay, co-creator of the international bestseller The Way Things Work, brings his signature curiosity and detailing to the story of the steamship in this meticulously researched and stunningly illustrated book. Prior to the 1800s, ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean relied on the wind in their sails to make their journeys. But invention of steam power ushered in a new era of transportation that would change ocean travel forever: the steamship. Award-winning author-illustrator David Macaulay guides readers through the fascinating history that culminated in the building of the most advanced--and last--of these steamships: the SS United States. This book artfully explores the design and construction of the ship and the life of its designer and engineer, William Francis Gibbs.
Framed around the author's own experience steaming across the Atlantic on the very same SS United States, Crossing on Time is a tour de force of the art of explanation and a touching and surprising childhood story.
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Kirkus Reviews
Childhood memories, as well as loads of historical and archival research, anchor a history of ocean liners from the invention of steam pumps to the magnificent SS United States...Personal notes give this stirring tribute to speed, power, and technological prowess an unusually intimate air.
Copyright 2019 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission
Publishers Weekly
More than 30 years after the publication of The Way Things Work, Macaulay continues to amaze with his architect-trained eye for detail and ability to make the complex understandable. His latest demystifies steam power and its use in ships through the mid-20th century. Bookending the steamship chronicle is the story of the author's boyhood immigration from Great Britain to the U.S. in 1957 aboard the fastest transatlantic passenger steamship at the time, the SS United States. After delving into the mechanics of steam power, the narrative introduces naval architect William Francis Gibbs and details construction of Gibbs's dream ship--the same one that carried the author to his new home. The final of four chapters recollects his family's ocean crossing. Macaulay's trademark diagrammatic illustrations, with varied perspectives, cross-sections, explanatory captions, and a dose of subtle humor, offer a multilayered reading experience. Particularly impressive is a massive gatefold that offers a stunning bow-to-stern cutaway of the SS United States. A timeline, selected reading list, and archival photos accompany an afterword that entreats that "we must look back ... to see where we've been and to be reminded of our accomplishments," as it discusses a conservancy's efforts to preserve the historic vessel. Ages 10-14. (May)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
Gr 6 Up--An in-depth informational text surveying the history of steamships, focusing on the SS United States. Master author/illustrator Macaulay combines expository and narrative nonfiction, explaining how William Francis Gibbs and his brother engineered the building of the SS United States and how his family eventually immigrated to America journeying on that very ship. The author's personal connection provides a solid foundation for the information. Macaulay's beautifully detailed illustrations illuminate the blended text, and are so engaging that they will draw in readers otherwise reluctant about the content of the book itself. An afterword and time line provide back matter that will further round out the readers' experience. VERDICT This book is a necessary addition to any collection serving middle grade readers and is perfect for collections in need of STEAM texts; a must-buy for any and all collections.--Amy McInerney, Falmouth Elementary School, ME
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"A stunning celebration of ships like the S.S. United States." —New York Times, Editors' Choice
"Macaulay details the design and construction of the vessel in his precise and often playful architectural drawings, luring in readers who might not otherwise be interested in physics and engineering." —New York Times Book Review
"Macaulay's succinct, explanatory text propels the narrative, drawing readers into his meticulous, captioned artwork . . . Not to be missed." —Booklist, starred review
"Macaulay's beautifully detailed illustrations illuminate the blended text, and are so engaging that they will draw in readers otherwise reluctant about the content of the book itself . . . Perfect for collections in need of STEAM texts; a must-buy for any and all collections." —School Library Journal, starred review
"Stunning . . . This title has potential to draw audiences from budding engineers to history buffs to fans of the golden age of glamorous sea travel, and they'll all find new understanding of this high-profile episode in transportation history." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"Beyond the impressive scholarship and impeccable draftsmanship, Macaulay rounds out the reading experience with moments of humor, pleasingly atmospheric spreads, and a humanistic view of applied science." —Horn Book, starred review
"A stunning book befitting its magnificent subject, Crossing on Time is a blue-ribbon read." —Shelf Awareness
"Personal notes give this stirring tribute to speed, power, and technological prowess an unusually intimate air." —Kirkus Reviews
"Macaulay continues to amaze with his architect-trained eye for detail and ability to make the complex understandable . . . A multilayered reading experience." —Publishers Weekly
Praise for David Macaulay:
"There is a sense of wonder in David Macaulay's work. It's fresh and genuine." —The Washington Post
"Macaulay's elegant drawings, wry humor, and clear descriptions of the simplest and most complex structures and machines are . . . entertaining experiences for both children and adults." —MacArthur Fellows citation, 2006
David Macaulay received his bachelor of architecture degree from Rhode Island School of Design. In January 1973, Macaulay went to France to work on the first of his twenty-five books, Cathedral. He then constructed a colonial Roman town (City, 1974), erected monuments to the Pharaohs (Pyramid, 1975), dissected the maze of subterranean systems below and essential to every major city (Underground, 1976), built a medieval fortress (Castle, 1977), and dismantled the Empire State Building (Unbuilding, 1980). Macaulay is perhaps best known for The Way Things Work (1988). It was followed by Black and White (1990) for which he won the 1991 Caldecott Medal. A revised edition of The Way Things Work was published in 1998 followed by Building Big, Mosque, and The Way We Work (2008).
Sheila Keenan is an established author of fiction and nonfiction, including Greetings from the 50 States; Animals in the House: A History of Pets and People; O, Say Can You See? America's Symbols, Landmarks, and Inspiring Words; and Gods, Goddesses, and Monsters: A Book of World Mythology. Her work Dogs of War is a graphic novel of historical fiction based on the role of dogs in the military.JNF025000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | General
JNF057020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Transportation | Boats, Ships & Underwater Craft
United States
Shipbuilding
Ocean liners
Gibbs, William F
United States (Steamship)
