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DK Eyewitness Books
Shipwreck
Superb full-color photographs of submerged wrecks and their lost cargoes and treasures offer a unique "eyewitness" view of ships and the lives of those who sailed in them. Readers discover what caused the "unsinkable" "Titanic" to sink, the hazards faced by ships at sea, and much, much more.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
3 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Richard Platt
291 books27 followers(1953–)
Richard Platt is the author of more than sixty informative books for young readers, and he also writes for innovative multimedia projects. Some of his most popular works have been collaborations with illustrator Stephen Biesty on the "Cross-Sections" series. After a failed attempt to forge a career as a photographer, Platt discovered that he had a knack for writing. "I started writing about photography: first magazine articles, then books," he explained on the Walker Books Web site. "I got a job editing children's books, then went on to write them."
In the 1990s, Platt teamed up with popular juvenile illustrator Biesty for several books, beginning with Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections Book, published in 1992. The following year, a second volume in the series, Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Man-of-War, proved equally interesting for late-elementary-age readers, especially those enchanted by seventeenth-century battleships. Alongside Biesty's cutaway illustrations, Platt provides explanatory text that indicates the purpose and activities in each section of the ship. The hardships of life aboard such vessels for their often 800-member crews are not overlooked, either, and the drawings depict food rations crawling with maggots and a doctor's pail containing severed limbs. Ellen Mandel, writing for Booklist, asserted that Platt's "intriguing text" serves to make "this meticulously presented book a treasure of factual content and visual imagery."
For Stephen Biesty's Incredible Everything, Platt provides informative paragraphs to accompany the illustrations for many everyday products, such as athletic shoes and compact discs. Much of the text revolves around the manufacturing process. Stephen Biesty's Incredible Body is a lesson in human anatomy, with sections on each of the body's systems and several major organs; the digestive system alone takes up four pages. Platt has also worked with the illustrator on Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castle and Stephen Biesty's Incredible Explosions.
Working with publisher Dorling Kindersley, Platt has authored several titles in their "Eyewitness" series, some of which have appeared in the United States under the Knopf/Borzoi imprint. Pirate details the world of corsairs, privateers, and crime on the high seas throughout history. A reviewer for Science Books and Films, Richard B. Woodbury, praised the work as "a veritable miniencyclopedia or minimuseum" and "a pleasure to look at." Spy chronicles the history of espionage and the decisive role intelligence-gathering triumphs have played in history. Of particular emphasis are the code-breaking endeavors by Allied intelligence networks during World War II. Shipwreck, also part of the "Eyewitness" series, investigates famous sea disasters and rescues. Like the other books in the popular series, Shipwreck is lavishly illustrated. Chris Stephenson, writing in School Librarian, called it "an excellent source of historical evidence and nautical information."
Platt has also written several books about inventions. His The Smithsonian Visual Timeline of Inventions, which appeared in 1994, won praise from reviewers for its comprehensiveness. Platt divides the development of technology throughout the ages into five sections, including agriculture, conquest, and communication. The timeline begins at 600,000 BCE, around the time humans likely began using fire, and includes predictions for innovations that may occur in the near future. Cathryn A. Camper, reviewing The Smithsonian Visual Timeline of Inventions for School Library Journal, praised Platt's skilled use of illustration and text, which the critic felt "teaches a sophisticated form of literacy similar to" that provided with multimedia learning tools—an area in which Platt already had a great deal of writing experience. "Readers will delight in the colorful pictures and the text, which gives just enough information to satisfy curiosity," opined Voice of Youth Advo
Richard Platt is the author of more than sixty informative books for young readers, and he also writes for innovative multimedia projects. Some of his most popular works have been collaborations with illustrator Stephen Biesty on the "Cross-Sections" series. After a failed attempt to forge a career as a photographer, Platt discovered that he had a knack for writing. "I started writing about photography: first magazine articles, then books," he explained on the Walker Books Web site. "I got a job editing children's books, then went on to write them."
In the 1990s, Platt teamed up with popular juvenile illustrator Biesty for several books, beginning with Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections Book, published in 1992. The following year, a second volume in the series, Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Man-of-War, proved equally interesting for late-elementary-age readers, especially those enchanted by seventeenth-century battleships. Alongside Biesty's cutaway illustrations, Platt provides explanatory text that indicates the purpose and activities in each section of the ship. The hardships of life aboard such vessels for their often 800-member crews are not overlooked, either, and the drawings depict food rations crawling with maggots and a doctor's pail containing severed limbs. Ellen Mandel, writing for Booklist, asserted that Platt's "intriguing text" serves to make "this meticulously presented book a treasure of factual content and visual imagery."
For Stephen Biesty's Incredible Everything, Platt provides informative paragraphs to accompany the illustrations for many everyday products, such as athletic shoes and compact discs. Much of the text revolves around the manufacturing process. Stephen Biesty's Incredible Body is a lesson in human anatomy, with sections on each of the body's systems and several major organs; the digestive system alone takes up four pages. Platt has also worked with the illustrator on Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castle and Stephen Biesty's Incredible Explosions.
Working with publisher Dorling Kindersley, Platt has authored several titles in their "Eyewitness" series, some of which have appeared in the United States under the Knopf/Borzoi imprint. Pirate details the world of corsairs, privateers, and crime on the high seas throughout history. A reviewer for Science Books and Films, Richard B. Woodbury, praised the work as "a veritable miniencyclopedia or minimuseum" and "a pleasure to look at." Spy chronicles the history of espionage and the decisive role intelligence-gathering triumphs have played in history. Of particular emphasis are the code-breaking endeavors by Allied intelligence networks during World War II. Shipwreck, also part of the "Eyewitness" series, investigates famous sea disasters and rescues. Like the other books in the popular series, Shipwreck is lavishly illustrated. Chris Stephenson, writing in School Librarian, called it "an excellent source of historical evidence and nautical information."
Platt has also written several books about inventions. His The Smithsonian Visual Timeline of Inventions, which appeared in 1994, won praise from reviewers for its comprehensiveness. Platt divides the development of technology throughout the ages into five sections, including agriculture, conquest, and communication. The timeline begins at 600,000 BCE, around the time humans likely began using fire, and includes predictions for innovations that may occur in the near future. Cathryn A. Camper, reviewing The Smithsonian Visual Timeline of Inventions for School Library Journal, praised Platt's skilled use of illustration and text, which the critic felt "teaches a sophisticated form of literacy similar to" that provided with multimedia learning tools—an area in which Platt already had a great deal of writing experience. "Readers will delight in the colorful pictures and the text, which gives just enough information to satisfy curiosity," opined Voice of Youth Advo
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 11, 2020
One of the better entries in this long-running series. Covers this interesting topic from a variety of unexpected angles - not just shipwrecks themselves, but the history and development of rescue techniques, lighthouses, diving and submersibles, ship-to-ship communications, navigation, etc.
It was, surprisingly, light on the subject of search, salvage and recovery - just what all has been brought back up from these uncountable wrecks - and I would have expected a mention at least of legendary treasure hunter Mel Fisher. But otherwise, an enjoyable, comprehensive and informative read.
PERSONAL NOTE: Despite the numerous ship-to-ship/ship-to-shore signaling systems the book mentions, they somehow missed this World War II U.S. Navy Morse code signal gun. I know it resembles a prehistoric T-shirt cannon, but in fact the long barrel kept anyone outside direct line of sight (like lurking submarines) literally "in the dark":
This thing has been in our family forever, although I have no idea why. My dad was too young for the war, but it might have come from one of his uncles who fought, (before they all disowned him for "marrying outside the faith;" apparently back then, a Catholic marrying a Methodist was a mortal sin!).
It was, surprisingly, light on the subject of search, salvage and recovery - just what all has been brought back up from these uncountable wrecks - and I would have expected a mention at least of legendary treasure hunter Mel Fisher. But otherwise, an enjoyable, comprehensive and informative read.
PERSONAL NOTE: Despite the numerous ship-to-ship/ship-to-shore signaling systems the book mentions, they somehow missed this World War II U.S. Navy Morse code signal gun. I know it resembles a prehistoric T-shirt cannon, but in fact the long barrel kept anyone outside direct line of sight (like lurking submarines) literally "in the dark":
This thing has been in our family forever, although I have no idea why. My dad was too young for the war, but it might have come from one of his uncles who fought, (before they all disowned him for "marrying outside the faith;" apparently back then, a Catholic marrying a Methodist was a mortal sin!).
October 21, 2021
I was weirdly intrigued by ships all of a sudden and this was a nice intro into more generic terms, and famous ships, and what has come of them. Very interactive pages with snippets of information that’s easily digestible and scannable.
June 28, 2019
Beautiful pictures, easy to read.
Read
September 5, 2022 i think it will tell you ship like the rms titanic or mary rose or more shipwrecks in history that sink
August 8, 2010
A book about shipwrecks is bound to be cool, and this book is no exception. Full of beautiful pictures, fascinating stories, and interesting facts, it was a great book. One of the stories I had never heard before was about "The Ghost Ship." From page 9:
"Not every shipping disaster leads to a wreck; some end much more mysteriously. Cast adrift on the Atlantic Ocean, the sailing ship 'Mary Celeste' was found empty but undamaged in December 1872. An abandoned meal lay on a table in the cabin, and the cargo of alcohol was untouched. Nobody has ever been able to explain what happened to the crew."
Later on in the book, there was a Questions and Answers page where this story was brought up again. From page 61:
Q: "What happened to the crew of the 'Mary Celeste'?"
A: "In 1872, the 'Mary Celeste' was found drifting in the Atlantic with no one aboard. It looked as if it had been abandoned in a great hurry. There are several theories about what happened to the ten people on board. One theory is that they mutinied - the crew turned against the captain and deserted the ship. Another is that they fled because they thought that the cargo of alcohol was about to explode. No survivors were ever found, however, and we will probably never know for sure what happened."
I had never heard that story before, and found it fascinating. I thought the mutiny idea was full of holes - even if the crew had mutinied against the captain and deserted the ship, why did the captain leave too? And if they killed the captain as part of their mutiny, then why didn't the crew simply stay on board the ship instead of leaving?
One question I had that wasn't discussed is if there were any lifeboats or rafts aboard when they set sail that were missing when the boat was found. Because if you're out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, you're not likely to simply jump overboard and try to swim for land, no matter if you think the alcohol is going to explode or not. And I would think that even if you thought it was a matter of life and death to get overboard and into the water NOW, wouldn't it be obvious after 15 minutes that the ship didn't explode, and you can get back on now? It couldn't have been a huge ship, considering it was only manned by 10 people, so a simple rope over the side of the ship would have let the crew get into the water safely, and back up into it when it was considered safe to do so.
Anyway, just some of the many questions I had by reading these little excerpts. And that's what I love about the Eyewitness Books - you learn a lot easily, and you have your appetite whet for even more information. A great book, as usual.
"Not every shipping disaster leads to a wreck; some end much more mysteriously. Cast adrift on the Atlantic Ocean, the sailing ship 'Mary Celeste' was found empty but undamaged in December 1872. An abandoned meal lay on a table in the cabin, and the cargo of alcohol was untouched. Nobody has ever been able to explain what happened to the crew."
Later on in the book, there was a Questions and Answers page where this story was brought up again. From page 61:
Q: "What happened to the crew of the 'Mary Celeste'?"
A: "In 1872, the 'Mary Celeste' was found drifting in the Atlantic with no one aboard. It looked as if it had been abandoned in a great hurry. There are several theories about what happened to the ten people on board. One theory is that they mutinied - the crew turned against the captain and deserted the ship. Another is that they fled because they thought that the cargo of alcohol was about to explode. No survivors were ever found, however, and we will probably never know for sure what happened."
I had never heard that story before, and found it fascinating. I thought the mutiny idea was full of holes - even if the crew had mutinied against the captain and deserted the ship, why did the captain leave too? And if they killed the captain as part of their mutiny, then why didn't the crew simply stay on board the ship instead of leaving?
One question I had that wasn't discussed is if there were any lifeboats or rafts aboard when they set sail that were missing when the boat was found. Because if you're out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, you're not likely to simply jump overboard and try to swim for land, no matter if you think the alcohol is going to explode or not. And I would think that even if you thought it was a matter of life and death to get overboard and into the water NOW, wouldn't it be obvious after 15 minutes that the ship didn't explode, and you can get back on now? It couldn't have been a huge ship, considering it was only manned by 10 people, so a simple rope over the side of the ship would have let the crew get into the water safely, and back up into it when it was considered safe to do so.
Anyway, just some of the many questions I had by reading these little excerpts. And that's what I love about the Eyewitness Books - you learn a lot easily, and you have your appetite whet for even more information. A great book, as usual.
April 5, 2017
This informational book takes you through the history of shipwrecks, examples of notable ones, the artifacts left behind, and the dangers of open waters. Each blurb of information is accompanied by a number of interesting pictures of rusted coins, the skeleton of a sunken ship and other remnants of shipwrecks that are telling either about the passengers, time period, or both. As someone who lives in the Great Lakes region and has heard the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior (and the general terror Northern Michigan waters can be) this read was fascinating and educational all at the same time.
June 18, 2017
An incredible book, Shipwreck covers in a mere 72 pages lots of information about the history of all manner of things connected to shipwrecks. Included are a huge number of pictures of shipwrecks and some of their artifacts, lighthouses, rescuing and some of the tools, and wreck archaeology. There is a short description of the topic on a page or set of pages and then many captions around the several pictures, many photographic cut-outs, of artifacts or tools. It is an excellent introduction to various aspects of an overall topic that can whet an appetite in any of several different directions of which the reader may wish to learn more.
Even if a child cannot read, if they are interested in boats, they will enjoy this book for the many pictures. As an adult, I liked seeing pictures of the wreck remains and tools and artifacts. The use of a transparent background technique allowed for more pictures per page while keeping a good amount of white space for captions and comfort for the eyes.
Even if a child cannot read, if they are interested in boats, they will enjoy this book for the many pictures. As an adult, I liked seeing pictures of the wreck remains and tools and artifacts. The use of a transparent background technique allowed for more pictures per page while keeping a good amount of white space for captions and comfort for the eyes.
January 9, 2023
DK's Eyewitness series presents information, on specific topics, in an interesting and educational way. It is not pages and pages of text that, no matter how much you might like the topic, can get boring very quickly. It is small paragraphs, each having to do with a photo, drawing or art piece on the page.
This particular book dealt with Shipwrecks, though I will say, not many actual wrecks were discussed. The majority of the book had to do with various aspects of sailing, diving, and nautical safety. There were pages on navigation, various types of diving equipment and types of escape craft.
Of the wrecks discussed, many were the standard fare for a book like this, the Titanic, The Vasa, the Spanish Armada. There was one two page spread on several wrecks on Lake Ontario, which was interesting to read about.
The quality of the photos, and artistic renderings was, as with any DK book, exceptional. It really brought the topics to life, and illustrated what the text was talking about.
This particular book dealt with Shipwrecks, though I will say, not many actual wrecks were discussed. The majority of the book had to do with various aspects of sailing, diving, and nautical safety. There were pages on navigation, various types of diving equipment and types of escape craft.
Of the wrecks discussed, many were the standard fare for a book like this, the Titanic, The Vasa, the Spanish Armada. There was one two page spread on several wrecks on Lake Ontario, which was interesting to read about.
The quality of the photos, and artistic renderings was, as with any DK book, exceptional. It really brought the topics to life, and illustrated what the text was talking about.
February 8, 2016
OK I know these are supposed to be kid books but they are awesome! Great pictures and just enough text to make you want to learn more. Great choices for a beginning history reader or to start an older reader out in a new area. Every time I pick one of these up and read it I learn new things. Highly Recommended
June 28, 2016
Man, they take a pretty salutary view of oil spills.
I love this book. I learned so much. I haven't gotten the little ones interested in it yet, but am confident I will. The Wreck of the Vasa is one of the most interesting stories of folly I have encountered.
I love this book. I learned so much. I haven't gotten the little ones interested in it yet, but am confident I will. The Wreck of the Vasa is one of the most interesting stories of folly I have encountered.
February 15, 2013
I learned how the tent keeps them safe. 3.9 (tent was the inflatable life raft w/ a tent on top)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews