On the face of it, this book is right up my alley. Shipwrecks! History! Unfortunately, David Gibbins just misses the mark a bit too much in A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks.

The premise is good enough. Take a list of wrecks and then explain the history around them. More than half of them Gibbins has personally dived on. Gibbins then gives a wider historical context around these ships and there you go. Easy peasy.

I had to think quite a while about why this one wasn't a home run for me. One of the issues which jumped out at me is that the wrecks can often feel tacked onto a very quick (relatively speaking) rundown of the history in the time period. I wanted more on the sunken treasures. The chapters where Gibbins was actually diving on the wrecks were usually the better chapters. Gibbins also writes well so even when I didn't love a chapter, it was still good, just not great.

The other problem is that since this is effectively 12 vignettes, each chapter must stand on its own. Gibbins accomplishes this, but he does it too well. It felt like you could completely skip a ship and it wouldn't matter. The book was not cohesive enough because sometimes Gibbins talks about how the ship sank, or the people on it, but other times he approaches it completely differently.

My criticisms make it seem like the book is something you should definitely skip, but it very well may be a matter of taste in the storytelling. You won't throw the book away in frustration, but you may not like it as much as you hoped, like me.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press.)

This book was incredibly interesting. I enjoyed learning things that I didn't know about these ships and the events surrounding them. The way that the author connected them was so unique!

"A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks" by David Gibbins is a captivating exploration of human history through the lens of significant maritime disasters. With meticulous detail and a wealth of archaeological knowledge, Gibbins weaves together the stories of twelve shipwrecks, ranging from the Viking warship of King Cnut the Great to the SS Gairsoppa sunk during World War II. This ambitious undertaking results in a compelling narrative that spans the ages and illuminates not only the maritime tragedies but also the broader historical tapestry.

Gibbins' expertise as a maritime archaeologist is evident throughout the book, as he takes readers on a journey beneath the waves to uncover the treasures and remnants of past civilizations preserved within shipwrecks. The choice of twelve diverse wrecks allows for a comprehensive exploration of different historical periods, including the Bronze Age, Caesar's Rome, the Viking era, and Arctic exploration.

What sets this book apart is its ability to transcend the mere retelling of shipwreck stories. Gibbins skillfully connects these events to larger historical themes, such as the spread of people, religion, and ideas around the world. The narrative unfolds as a tapestry of colonialism, migration, and the enduring human spirit that persists to this day. It's not just a chronicle of ships lost at sea; it's a rich portrayal of the complexities of human history.

The author's writing is accessible and engaging, making complex archaeological concepts and historical periods understandable to a wide audience. Gibbins seamlessly integrates archaeological findings with historical context, offering readers a deeper understanding of the significance of each shipwreck in the broader context of world history.

The inclusion of personal stories, such as those of the people who sailed on these ships, adds a human touch to the narrative, allowing readers to connect emotionally with the historical events. The book succeeds in not only educating but also captivating the reader with the allure of underwater secrets and the untold stories waiting to be discovered beneath the waves.

In conclusion, "A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks" is a four-star journey through time and across the seas, skillfully crafted by David Gibbins. It is a testament to the author's expertise, offering readers a comprehensive and enthralling exploration of maritime history. Whether you are interested in archaeology, history, or simply enjoy a well-told tale, this book provides a fascinating and immersive experience that brings the past to life through the secrets hidden beneath the ocean's surface.

OH wow so I’ve been on an under the sea kick and this filled that for sure. I loved reading about the history of our world and seeing it from shipwrecks. I’m slightly obsessed with swimming and water so it was a perfect read for me. At times it came off a little like a textbook but that’s ok I still enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Really neat read. I learned a lot and appreciated the authors sharing of his experiences and engaging writing style.

I have always been interested in shipwrecks so I had to request this book. I was not disappointed reading this book. Thank you also, for not including the Titanic as there's enough books out there about it.

The author definitely researched. He also is a good writer as this book was well written. This is a definite recommend if your interested into shipwrecks.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

A fascinating look at maritime history. Gibbins makes these disasters accessible and gripping for the modern reader. Sure to be on the best nonfiction lists of 2024.

For a history book, there were way too many "I"s in this. Other readers might be interested in the author's education & experiences diving, but I was reading it for the historical context. I think there was too much padding to make this into a book.

This is definitely good and I liked the premise. But ultimately, there just wasn't enough information for my taste. I appreciated some of the early entries more than later ones. There is less information about these, but I enjoyed the author's use of the artifacts present in the archeological evidence to speculate about the people present at the shipwreck as well as the broader time period. The later chapters almost have less information included, probably due to having more information about the time so less need for speculation.

I do feel inspired to read more about the Franklin expedition. Lead poisoning + cannibalism! How is that not interesting? This is not the only time I read about it this month, as it is also included in an essay collection by Margaret Atwood.

The author actually gets extra points for not including the Titanic. My unpopular opinion is that one is overdone and it bores me.

I love shipwrecks: their mystery, their abruptly-destroyed journeys, and what they say about the culture that sent them, and the culture that would receive them. "A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks" attempts to distill the history of human communication and transportation into a smattering of maritime disasters, and on the whole it's an engaging, successful and interesting book. From ancient Turkey to the frigid waters of the Arctic, Gibbons not only discusses the specificities of the ships, but how they were discovered, how archeologists studied them (some were by far more readily accessible than others) and how, if applicable, they were brought to the surface. But Gibbons also concentrates on the historical context in which these ships sailed: what they carried, where they were going, and what their goods indicated about human culture and civilization.

Gibbons writes for an audience that's more learned than most - I found myself looking up things he offhandedly referenced, and terms I wasn't familiar with. It's not really written for a general audience, and the vibe leans a little dry and dense here; however the writing itself was detailed, fascinating, and passionate on the subject. I very much enjoyed the structure of the book (a chapter on each wreck) as it sailed closer to modern day. Very much recommended for fans of maritime history, and history in general.

A shipwreck captures the history of a single moment in time. As an archeology major (even if I don't use my degree in my daily life lol) I love learning about history from the artifacts left behing so shipwrecks have always fascinated me. Gibbins has spent practically his whole life entranced by shipwrecks and has explored many. The twelve shipwrecks highlighted in this book are quite the variety.

I enjoyed getting to learn about the process for making sure an underwater excavation doesn't destroy the items they are trying to excavate. As an archeology nerd, this book was a really fun look into underwater archeology and 12 distinct times in the history of the world. It is dense but I def recommend if you are interested in learning about our world through what we leave for those after us to find.

Such a cool book, a very cool way to organize information. It's about a lot more than just shipwrecks. In a way, it almost reads as a history of the world, funneled through these shipwrecks as a way to get at the most important facts. Interesting things covered beyond sea-going vessels: where much of the tin came from that helped make the bronze of the Bronze Age (my personal favorite tidbit), the early languages of the Mediterranean and Middle East, who the Sea Peoples likely were and their impact on the end of the Bronze Age, the battles of the Greco-Persian wars in the fifth century bce, the founding and general history of the Roman Republic, the military successes of Justinian's general Belisarius, the origins of Sinbad the Sailor, the history of tea drinking, the ins and outs of the medieval ivory trade, the reach off the Dutch East India Company, and the dangers of the water just off the coast of the most southerly point of the British mainland.

My favorites of the shipwrecks included were "Early sea traders of prehistory in the 2nd millennium BC” "11th century AD Viking seafaring and voyages of discovery," "The Santo Christo (1667): lost masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age," and "HMS Terror (1848): to the limit of endurance at the ends of the earth."

There were a few times when I was somewhat bored, usually because the time period and place or subject covered was not one in which I'm particularly interested, but usually I had no trouble staying engaged. It took me longer than usual to read this though, because some of the chapter ignited an interest in me that I couldn't ignore. After the early chapters, I had to read a book about the Trojan War. After the Vikings chapter, I had to read a book about William the Conquerer. The mention of Ahmad ibn Fadlan made me want to find a biography of him. After the 1667 chapter, I had to read a book about the Dutch Masters. And then I couldn't start the next chapter until I'd finished these sister reads, as I was worried a new topic would ignite in me. The best type of nonfiction is the kind that makes you want to read other things because what's within is so stimulating.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC of A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks in exchange for an honest review! Reading this book you can't help but appreciate how much effort and research David Gibbins put into this. I love the insights he's gained from his diving experiences and he's done a great job taking that and other research he's done to write a very interesting history book! I was learning something new with every turn of the page. I think I was fascinated the whole time because Gibbins was so clearly fascinated by what he was telling me. That made me find this book incredibly engaging, especially for a history book!

I think if you wanted to have a very informative evening this book can be read in one sitting. I also think it could be enjoyable to read a chapter or two at a time if you want to pace yourself. I think the length is good for reading it either way.

If you're a fan of history, shipwrecks, or both I would recommend this book! If you look at this book's description and think you might be interested, I'd say you definitely should give it a try!

Lots of interesting information, but a really slow read. I put it down between chapters, but kept going back for more history.

Very well researched. An interesting and informative read for anyone interested in archeology, shipwrecks and ancient history. Meticulous descriptions with loads of background information.

A very interesting subject to tackle, but I found the writing to be a bit dull and academic. While there was a lot of information presented, it lacked the drama and tension that helps bring non-fiction to life. However, it was compelling to hear from such an accomplished professional diver... he must lead a very interesting life.

Thank you for allowing me early access to review this title!

A fascinating look at how 12 shipwrecks influenced history. Focusing mostly on trade and wealth, the book dives (pun intended) into the shipwrecks and how they allow historians to appear into the lives at the time.

I liked the set up of the book, talking about the shipwreck, the location, and the dive. Then it got to the what was found in the shipwreck and how the items relate.

With a particular emphasis on trade and how Europe (for the most part) traded was really insightful.

I wish that there had been more shipwrecks from around the world. It was mostly focused upon Britian and around the island.

Overall I liked the book and learned a lot.

This book opened my eyes to how much shipwrecks have helped us learn about history and how some of them have acted like time capsules. This book will appeal to readers who want to know more about what we've learned from shipwrecks rather than a focus on how they sank.
The twelve shipwrecks explored in this book span history from ancient times to WWII and explains how the discoveries the archeologists found can explain the economic and cultural landscapes of their time period. I also appreciated the first-hand accounts we got from the the shipwrecks the author personally dove to. The book left me wondering what else we will discover from other found shipwrecks or underwater archeology.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history. David Gibbins takes the reader on a tour through the centuries, starting in the bronze age and ending up in World War 2. The concept of the book (and it's a neat one) is that ship wrecks from various periods of history are used.as jumping off points to lay out the political, cultural, and especially economical networks shaping a given period. This makes a lot of sense since ships are the technology that humanity has used to engage in migration, colonization, warfare, and, most of all, trade, establishing material and cultural links among distinct populations around the globe. This expansive, globalist outlook on history makes for a much more interesting and satisfying presentation of historical events, compared to one in which authors focus on particular events in particular places (like a single person, war or revolution). In that respect Gibbins' rendition of world history is similar to, and equally engaging to read as, "A Splendid Exchange" by William Bernstein.

Gibbins is an accomplished archeological diver, scholar and academic on the subject, and can draw the reader in with first-person accounts of visits to most of the shipwrecks and sites he describes. From there, he effortlessly draws back his lens to the historical context and events surrounding each wreck. He also establishes the temporal context of each period, pointing out the developments, sometimes spanning centuries leading up to, and resulting from each moment in history. The presentation is vivid and engaging, often using the fates of individuals, as reflected in artifacts and documents, to bring an entire historical period to life. No doubt Gibbins' experience as both an academic and a fiction writer serves him well here.

Notes to the editor/publisher: The uncorrected digital galley I reviewed had no noticeable issues as far as the text was concerned, with one exception. The quote from the German U-boat captain's log (chapter 12) has several misspellings and should read "dass nach Detonation viele Taschenlampen, insbesondere auf Bootsdeck und Seitendeck" (and there seems to be a verb missing, to the effect of "could be seen").

If at all possible, this book should include relevant maps and pictures of the ships/wrecks, portaits and artifacts. The illustrations provided with the galley consisted exclusively of underwater photographs related to the author's dives on the wrecks, but are not sufficient to illustrate the geography and material objects (including the ships in their original form) referenced in the book.

I have a weakness for books that advertise themselves as “A History of the World in [cardinal number] [noun]”. I have read a book about Six Glasses, want to read a book about Nine Mysterious Scripts, and listened to a BBC podcast about 100 Objects. But this particular combination of cardinal number and noun did not really reach out and grab my undivided attention, although I am at a loss to explain why.

The writing is certainly clear enough in most of the book, although occasionally you run across a sentence which might be improved by an accompanying illustration, like: “The Langdon Bay assemblage includes so-called ‘palstaves’, which were cast with flanges to keep the wooden haft in place and a side-loop for twine or rawhide to bind the head to the bindle” (Kindle location 304).

I thought that the phrase “we shall see” appears too frequently for my liking (often in the phrase “as we shall see”). I tend to think: don't tell me I'll see it, just show it to me. However, my Kindle search function tells me that it appears 16 times in a 384-page book, which I guess is not so bad. Still, I found it distracting.

The scholarship seems excellent, although I have one factual nit-pick, which is (at location 686): “... Homer, who wrote in the Greek language …”. I was, at the same time I was reading this book, reading a book that presents a great deal of evidence that Homer (whether person or committee) did not write in any language, although some disagree and it seems unlikely that the question will ever be resolved completely.

I guess I was hoping for a little more drama in the author's personal narrative. The author is apparently an accomplished and sought-after diver, and works with various impressive-sounding government, academic, and private institutions to explore shipwrecks and bring them up to where the rest of us can get a look at them. Everyone is very professional, apparently, which is admirable but doesn't make for such a compelling read. Didn't anybody ever disagree? No oversized egos? No bureaucratic bungling? No comic moments? No ridiculous mistakes? Including stories like this in your narrative is what brings a non-fiction book alive, in my sight, but there wasn't anything like that in this book.

This book was conceived and executed in a professional manner, but it just didn't entertain me in the way I wanted to be entertained. Still, it had a lot of interesting information.

Download a .pdf containing some cool color photos that will appear in the book at the URL below.

https://bit.ly/HistoryShipwreckPhotos

I received a free electronic advance review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.