Eileen Reid Marcil

What was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean? It depends who you ask. The US and the UK have laid claim to this title, but in this book, Eileen Reid Marcil resurrects the PS Royal William, which had a short but illustrious career under this name and which crossed from Pictou to Portsmouth in 1833, a full five years before the UK’s contenders for the title of “first transatlantic steamship”. And the Royal William was an actual steamship that was run entirely on coal, unlike the US contender, which was a sailing ship with a steam engine attached.

This book is attractively laid out and contains a variety of photos and drawings to help tell the story of the ship’s construction, crossing, sinking, and resurrection under Portuguese and later Spanish ownership. The ship didn’t seem to spend much of its life as the Prince William, though, and as a consequence the story felt like it ended halfway through. I also find glossy paper hard to read because the light shines on it in a way that obscures some of the text, so I’m constantly having to turn it or change position in order to see everything.

This book probably has a niche audience, so if you are part of that niche of “likes books about old ships, particularly ships with a Canadian connection”, you may want to check out this book.… (más)