Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Seaby Gary KinderKinder’s book is an incredible minute-by-minute account of the ill-fated steamship Central America, which sank in 1857 with the loss of 500 people and several million dollars worth of newly mined California gold. The author skillfully tells two tales: how the vessel was lost and how a single-minded engineer with a penchant for elaborate schemes found the wreck off the Carolinas in 1989. Despite the numerous shipwreck books available, Ship of Gold is a fresh adventure story and exciting history lesson on this country’s Gold Rush era.
Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, N.Y.; ph: 212-614-7850; 480 pages; $27.50.
