Description

FRANCE’S LEGENDARY ART DECO OCEAN LINER

By John Maxtone-Graham

Normandie was unquestionably the most beautiful ocean liner ever built. The world’s largest at the time, she also became the world’s fastest. Her art deco interiors were unrivaled, capacious, elegant and chic, decorated by teams of France’s most talented artists. Yet Normandie was plagued with frustration––never attracting more passengers than the competition and tragically ending her days in flames at New York’s Pier 88. The author resurrects Normandie within a sober historical context, winnowing fable from fact in this comprehensive volume enriched by 277 photographs and a magnificent 4-page foldout illustration, he documents every aspect of the vessel’s decorative antecedents, design, construction and service. Normandie retains a mystical allure seven decades after her maiden arrival. Despite the brevity of her life, France’s legendary liner compels because of her exquisite design and unparalleled superlatives. She captivated everyone and passengers shared an almost visceral fondness for their vessel. Always, articulate and entertaining, maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham has created the definitive Normandie panegyric [extravagant praise delivered in formal writing], in a fascinating and at times, heart-breaking account of this fabled liner. A magnificent tribute to this illustrious and unique steamship. 260 pages. Hardcover 11.25 X 10.25.