"Dramatic and emotive images" - The Sunday Times
"To see the pictures reproduced so beautifully took me by surprise" - BBC Radio
An exceptional photographic collection of the shipwrecks of Britain's South Coast: one of the most lethal places in the world during the age of sail.
In the days of sailing ships, the waters off Britain's south-western coast were among the most treacherous in the world with tidal currents, submerged rocks, storms and murky depths. Thousands of ships were lost there over the centuries.
From Cornwall and the remote Isles of Scilly, four generations of the Gibson family documented these shipwrecks in photographs, creating a unique archive of an era when seafaring meant risking one's life.
This magnificent book is the largest ever created on the outstanding collection of pictures of the Gibson Family, with almost 100 exceptional images presented as never before alongside text by Carl Douglas Björn Hagberg. The result is a work that conveys mankind's struggle against the elements - and the extraordinary efforts to save lives.
This book is published in co-operation with the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, that holds the unique Gibson collection.
| ISBN: | 9789171265586 |
| Publication date: | 26th February 2026 |
| Author: | Carl Douglas, Björn Hagberg, National Maritime Museum Great Britain |
| Publisher: | Bokforlaget Max Strom an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 184 pages |
| Genres: |
Maritime history Oceanography (seas and oceans) Monochrome photography Social impact of disasters / accidents (natural or man-made) Photographs: collections Geographical discovery and exploration Ships and boats: general interest |
"Dramatic and emotive images" - The Sunday Times
"To see the pictures reproduced so beautifully took me by surprise" - BBC Radio
An exceptional photographic collection of the shipwrecks of Britain's South Coast: one of the most lethal places in the world during the age of sail.
In the days of sailing ships, the waters off Britain's south-western coast were among the most treacherous in the world with tidal currents, submerged rocks, storms and murky depths. Thousands of ships were lost there over the centuries.
From Cornwall and the remote Isles of Scilly, four generations of the Gibson family documented these shipwrecks in photographs, creating a unique archive of an era when seafaring meant risking one's life.
This magnificent book is the largest ever created on the outstanding collection of pictures of the Gibson Family, with almost 100 exceptional images presented as never before alongside text by Carl Douglas Björn Hagberg. The result is a work that conveys mankind's struggle against the elements - and the extraordinary efforts to save lives.
This book is published in co-operation with the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, that holds the unique Gibson collection.
Shipwreck features in the following genres: Maritime history, Oceanography (seas and oceans), Monochrome photography, Social impact of disasters / accidents (natural or man-made), Photographs: collections, Geographical discovery and exploration, Ships and boats: general interest
Shipwreck is available in Hardback
Shipwreck was written by Carl Douglas, Björn Hagberg, National Maritime Museum Great Britain and published by Bokforlaget Max Strom an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing (UK)
Shipwreck has 184 pages
£31.50