The Plimsoll Sensation

The Plimsoll Sensation The Great Campaign to Save Lives at Sea

Paperback (03 May 2007)

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Publisher's Synopsis

The story of a Victorian philanthropist who reformed shipping laws, saved thousands of sailors' lives and became a national hero

'A story of ambition, treachery, libel, political intrigue and cold-blooded murder on a mass scale' Herald

'Nicolette Jones charts Plimsoll's course with skill, insight and elegance' Sunday Telegraph

'Splendid and meticulously researched' Guardian

In the second half of the nineteenth century, an astonishing campaign stirred a nation to save the lives of the hundreds of British sailors who were drowning unnecessarily every year. Overladen and ill-repaired ships set sail, their doomed crews sacrificed while mercenary shipowners profited from the insurance. Samuel Plimsoll blew the whistle on these scandalous practices, devoting his life to a campaign for maritime reform. Plimsoll caught the public imagination: under his banner working men and women stood side by side with enlightened aristocrats and industrialists, their clamour almost toppling a prime minister.

About the Publisher

Abacus

Abacus

Abacus is home to some of the world?s most renowned authors, including Donna Tartt, Gore Vidal, Jane Gardam, Primo Levi and Beryl Bainbridge. In 2013, we celebrated our 40th anniversary with the reissue of 18 of our classic books ? a wonderfully diverse collection ranging from Douglas Coupland?s Generation X and Iain Banks? The Wasp Factory, to Tom Holland?s Rubicon and Alexander McCall Smith?s The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Originally a non-fiction list with something of an ecological flavour, Abacus has evolved over the years to become one of the most renowned homes for quality fiction and non-fiction, and one with a particularly strong tradition in bestselling memoirs, notably Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom and historian William Woodruff's double No. 1 bestsellers The Road to Nab End and Beyond Nab End. Our non-fiction publishing grew further with the publication of books by some of the most influential writers in their fields, such as Tim Harford, Gillian Tett and Tom Holland, and our fiction publishing continues to go from strength to strength, driven by a new generation of novelists like Kevin Maher and A. D. Miller, who sit alongside global bestsellers like Anita Shreve and Candace Bushnell.

Book information

ISBN: 9780349117201
Publisher: Little, Brown
Imprint: Abacus
Pub date:
DEWEY: 363.123092
DEWEY edition: 22
Language: English
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 294g
Height: 197mm
Width: 128mm
Spine width: 27mm