From early sea traders of prehistory in the second millennium BC to the SS Gairsoppa, a cargo ship sunk by a u-boat in the battle of the Atlantic in 1941, Gibbons described some of the biggest discoveries of shipwrecks around the world. Each shipwreck gets its own chapter of exquisitely researched information on its creation, the culture of the people that built and used it, and a description of the discovery and restoration of the artifacts found. As a maritime archeologist that dove his first shipwreck at age 14 and with over 4 decades of underwater exploration the author's knowledge and passion for the subject shine through. A quote I really liked from the afterword: "The very act of diving, in an unfamiliar and often challenging environment, sharpens the resolve and heightens awareness, as if by doing so we are entering into the final moments of emotion of those on board and able to sense the lives that still seem to be imprinted on the seabed." I recommend this to anyone that enjoys historical nonfiction, especially history of different cultures.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.

A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins is both entertaining and informative. Gibbins is a well-informed and dynamic narrator who guides readers through the fascinating stories of these historical shipwrecks. His expertise and engaging storytelling make this book a must-read for anyone interested in maritime history.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

"A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks" reads more as a textbook and may struggle to find footing with mass appeal. The subject area is incredibly interesting, and yes, obviously is a subject for learning. However, it's a very exciting premise surrounded by straightforward facts and A LOT of annotated credit. There is no storytelling. There is no color or life brought into the subject that would flame interest for a new reader.

One of my recommendations would be to stop listing every single name of the people who worked on the projects, nor list the name for every affiliated educational institutes. This is where an index will provide great support! While reading on a mobile screen, there were times when entire pages were simply names of people who did something at that point in time. The user experience of reading the text was terrible and I found myself skipping ahead so I could get back into the story.

Another recommendation would be to make sure there are pictures in the final text. (Again, further cinching that belt towards a History textbook, but a lot of people are visual creatures). One of the areas I would have enjoyed a visual is to provide context for scale. There is a reference in the beginning around the distance from the Nile river to Carchemish. This may be difficult to communicate meaning for the common reader.

Overall, it was a somewhat disappointing read. For a subject matter I was very interested in exploring, it felt like the pages were wasted in chronicling that the facts/credit and the context of the story fell to the wayside.

Overall, I liked the premise of the book. It really offers a broad look over a vast time period. I liked the idea of looking at specific shipwrecks and looking at them through the eyes of history at the time. It was cool to learn about trade and cultural relationships, especially when that isn’t always the focus of history learned in school.
I wish there was more uniformity or organization the the chapters. It would have been easier to follow each chapter if there were subheadings or it followed a set order of information. As a result, some bits felt more rambling and less easy to follow than others.
Hopefully, if you are reading this book, you have also read other history books. My understanding of the topics was definitely added by previous knowledge of the time periods discussed.
Also, hope the final version has pictures of maps. That would have been really helpful and would definitely add to the experience.

A solid history book, looking at different stages of human civilisation through specific moments, with the eponymous shipwrecks serving as time capsules - both literally and figuratively. I particularly enjoyed the passages where the author shares his own experiences as a maritime archaeologist, but be aware that this is not a scientific travelogue full of underwater adventures. However, if you are interested in global history, I think you will find this volume compelling.

Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, David Gibbins and Netgalley.
Lately it seems like these kind of books give me air. I'm happy as can be when I read tales like this. I've lately discovered "in my older years" what I love most. What I love is stories of ships, the people who helmed them and what date befell them.
This book was fairly awesome!
If you're anything like me, then you've already read about these wrecks elsewhere, but I really did enjoy how the author pulled these stories together. Is it the history in 12 shipwrecks? No. If course not. But, it's definitely worthy of consideration.

Informative and entertaining. The twelve shipwrecks serve as framework on which Gibbins piles facts and speculation both about world events. This makes it possible to read this in chunks- like a book of short stories. Almost more interesting than the history were the details of his dives. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Interesting, very thorough and somewhat clinical. This is not light reading, nor a book of anecdotes.

Stars: 4.5

I saw this on NetGalley and I thought it would be an excellent book for the “Features the Ocean” prompt on the 52 Book Club Challenge, so I grabbed it. I wasn’t sure how it would go, if maybe this might be too ambitious a project and if the author would be trying too hard to make a grand historical theory using various shipwrecks. Gibbins is an archaeologist and he brought that expertise to the various wrecks by placing them within their time and place in history, all to great effect. He is also a novelist which came through in his ability to weave a story about the people associated with the various ships.

This was just a fascinating way to look at history, especially in terms of economics. Until the advent of the standardized modern railway, shipping was the fastest, and most profitable, way to move goods. Even in our own time, I am not sure we fully appreciate how much comes to us via cargo ships. So looking at shipwrecks, and the impact such wrecks could have, is illuminating. But the thing I liked most about this book, and what I think Gibbins did extremely well, was bring to life the people that inhabited these boats. The discussion about the SS Gairsoppa, a British ship from India that sunk in World War II, highlighted the multicultural nature of the crew and how they were run to accommodate different religious beliefs; for example, the cooks on board vessels were generally Portuguese sailors from Goa, recruited because they could prepare food for both the Indian Muslims and the Christian British. And when Gibbins highlights the wreck of the Tang Chinese ship, the focus is on the trade between China and the Arabian states, a fascinating trade route that gives insight into the world around the Indian Ocean from the 700s to the late 800s with the added bonus of examining the classic stories in Arabian Nights.

I think this book, much like Colin Woodward’s history of the Caribbean pirates, will be of interest to the lay reader; no knowledge of archaeology is necessary. Instead, a reader that brings a curiosity about the wilder world who would like a well-written, big-tent overview of world history will find this a wonderfully entertaining read. My only sadness is that since this is an ARC, there were no photos and I would have loved to have seen images of some of the items discovered on the wrecks, so I will be doing some googling!

I loved that each of the Twelve Shipwrecks had a unique story to tell. With hundreds on record and even more yet to be discovered, Gibbins has chosen each one with a discerning eye. Personal favorites include the Dover Wreck, the oldest seagoing vessel ever found; the Marzamemi Wreck which contained "28 marble columns" fit for a Byzantine Church; and the Belitung Wreck, which contained 57,000 Changsha bowls and priceless metals. And of course the legendary Wreck of the Mary Rose! I hope to see that one in particular someday. Others include the Uluburun Wreck; the Plemmirio Wreck, the Roskilde Wreck, the Santo Christo de Castel, The Royal Anne Galley, the HMS Terror and the SS Gairsoppa!

However, this one required some effort to get through. Factually, it is flawless and Gibbins is clearly a master of his field. Structurally though, it is cumbersome and needs refinement. First, Gibbins introduces the shipwreck and describes what was found. He then posits where it was sailing to and from, asking with the known evidence for both. These portions are great, but you have to sift through a lot to find them. To include as much "world" as possible, Gibbins incorporates temporally adjacent events or loosely tied literary references. A single artifact may be the only link to several pages of surplus information. I often found myself simply googling the shipwrecks to make sure I was still on track. This book would greatly benefit from footnotes and illustrations, which of course may be forthcoming. If you check it out on NetGalley, I recommend having a notebook and an encyclopedia to assist with the terminology. Thankfully Gibbins' enthusiasm and passion for shipwrecks convinced me to stick with it. There's an excellent book buried here if you have the patience to dig it up.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for approving "A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks" by David Gibbins for me on Netgalley!

A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks is about as straightforward as a title can be. The author, David Gibbins, discusses the historical context around twelve different shipwrecks and their significance.

Each chapter covers a different ship in chronological order. This book does not need to be read as a whole. For research (or interest) purposes, each chapter is presented in such a way that they can be read individually.

I would have liked to see more visuals in each chapter. It probably took me twice as long as it should have to read through this book because I spent a lot of time “googling” for maps and other images to accompany each shipwreck.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley!

Shipwrecks offer glimpses into past civilizations through objects preserved on the ocean floor. This book weaves together stories of significant sunken vessels, spanning continents and centuries.

This is not a history book but an archeology book. There’s no sweeping narrative here, but anecdotes of how objects bring history to life. The information is interesting, but the lack of a strong narrative arc makes the book difficult to follow. The content is interesting but might best be read in small doses.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you for the ARC! There were many things I enjoyed about this book: the history, the premise, the authors writing.

However, I wished there had been more information on the shipwrecks themselves. There’s so much fascinating information attached to the wrecks and I would have loved to know more about what treasures were found underwater and how that related to the history itself. Overall a nice read.

Thanks in advance to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In theory, this should be my ideal read, and indeed was one of my most anticipated nonfiction reads of the year. Unfortunately, this book just missed the mark for me. The concept is amazing, but the execution reads more like a textbook than a Nat Geo documentary. It lacked the entertainment value I anticipated. That said, chapters that covered wrecks the author dived tended to be more engaging. However, collectively, the book wasn’t particularly cohesive. For individuals with less historical background, the book would have certainly benefited from more illustrations (it’s been a long time since I was in a class that discussed oxhide ingots). But that still wouldn’t have been sufficient to save the overall style of the book.

I was initially very excited to read A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks. I love to read nonfiction sea faring micro histories.

I definitely see an audience for this book and I love forward to recommending it to others. However, it just did not hit the mark for me. The chapters seemed to draw on and on, and spiral into other subjects. I had hoped each shipwreck would be written as its own micro history that would flow more easily while reading, although I realize this a my personal opinion of the writing.

Booksellers this book would be a great hand sell with books like The Perfect Storm, Sailing the Graveyard Sea and The Wager.

This digital review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Huge thanks to Netgalley and St.Martins Press for my review copy!

A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins is a highly recommended history based around 12 shipwrecks written by an expert in both archaeology and diving. In the prologue Gibbons makes it clear that the twelve shipwrecks he covers provide a springboard for looking at the wider historical context. Shipwrecks are unique because it represents a collection of objects used at the time of the shipwreck and thus can be closely dated. This can offer new historical insights into the past.

The shipwrecks examined are: The Dover Boat constructed in 1575-1520 BC; Royal cargoes at the time of Tutankhamun in 14th century BC and the Uluburun wreck; a Classical Greece wreck off the Aegean coast of Turkey from the 5th century BC; a shipwreck in the Mediterranean from the Roman Empire in the 2nd century AD; 6th century AD Christianity and early Byzantium; Tang China, the Land of Gold, and Addasid Islam in the 9th century AD; 11th century AD Viking warship of King Cnut the Great; the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry VIII, 1545;the Santo Christo de Castello a Dutch ship from 1667; The Royal Anne Galley, 1721; the HMS Terror, 1848; and the SS Gairsoppa, destroyed by a Nazi U-boat in the Atlantic during World War II. (The final version will include illustrations, an index, bibliography, endnotes, and resources.)

These shipwrecks are the starting point to a larger discussion of world history. It is well-researched and includes many ties into a wider historical context of the time the ship would have been sea worthy. The people, the cargo, the spread of the materials they carried and the beliefs they held are all tied together with the 12 significant shipwrecks and the insight they provide into the times in which they sailed.

Admittedly, I found some of the shipwrecks and their historical context more interesting than others, but A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks will appeal to those who enjoy history and especially maritime history. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

My wife read this instead of me. She did not star rate it on goodreads, but netgalley forces a star rating.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review. (Well, my husband did and he outsourced the review to me https://www.goodreads.com/bikeboy). I declined to give it a star rating because I am a notoriously tough grader and my feelings are too nuanced to boil down to a simple numerical rating.

This book is well worth reading to learn how historical knowledge is constructed. But no one book, especially one this short, will teach you the history of the world. The 12 shipwrecks are all related to western civ; Asia & Oceana are not represented except for one European ship wrecked on the way back from Asia. (Read Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia to learn about Oceana.)

That said, shipwrecks are a valuable source of material culture clues because they are a point in time sample of people doing something. They are not (except in one case) funerary objects. These objects were used by people for specific purposes. The location of the wrecks and what they were transporting also illuminates the types of people who go to sea and their motivations.

People went to sea to explore, to get rich, and to go to war. When their trips were interrupted, what were they carrying? This is a fantastic opportunity for scholarship and this book gives us a peek into the work of shipwreck archeologists.

I learned that, just as climate scientists can tell how warm a period was by O16/O18 (oxygen isotope) ratios in stalactites/stalagmites, they can also tell how warm the climate was where the victims in shipwrecks grew up. O16/O18 ratios in the molars showed that the one of the archers (skeletal asymmetry) brought along to protect a European ship was African.

When I was working in a Space Sciences lab, a metrology expert I worked with had earned her PhD in materials science at U of Cambridge (where the author teaches) studying trace elements and isotope ratios in bronze church bells. The coins, ingots and metal objects in the shipwrecks also tell a fascinating story.

I wish the book had explained more about the science of archaeology, ocean currents/wind patterns, and ship designs--or the historical context of the ships, and the reasons they went out to sea--instead of just skimming along the surface of many topics.

I'm now going to have to read A History of the World in Sixteen Shipwrecks

A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins combines a survey history with memoir and archeology. Using the shipwrecks to frame the work, the reader journeys chronologically from the second millennium BCE to the Second World War.

Each chapter focuses on a single vessel. Gibbins describes the likely or known circumstances that led to the sinking, its rediscovery, archeological findings and the wider context of the time period. It allows Gibbins to share both his first-hand experience diving on some of the featured wrecks as well as to showcase his knowledge and research to highlight the trade networks, travel and warfare of the different eras.

It's an interesting book that follows the typical framework of a history of ___ in ___ objects. Unfortunately, due to the short length of the work, none of the ships are explored with a great deal of depth. We get a succinct summary of the time period, some discussion of life on the ship and the process of recovering item from the wrecks. In general, I found the earlier wrecks more difficult to stay invested in, as Gibbins could not pull from the same depth of sources as in the latter chapters. Gibbons is clearly a passionate and invested author, and some chapters, such as the one focused on World War II or the Mary Rose would have made for great essays.

Worth a read for historians, marine archeologists or those interested in any of the time periods featured, but not something for the general reader.

What an interesting and entertaining way to learn about or brush up on history. I had no idea so much knowledge about our past could be gained from the objects found on a shipwreck.

From a Bronze Age ship uncovered in Dover to a World War II ship, underwater archeologist David Gibbins does an excellent job of tying our past and present together in an informative narrative. What could easily have been a dry rehash of history is instead an engaging look, through an archeologist's eye, at different eras in history and what artifacts tell us about our past. Even though I enjoyed the ancient shipwrecks more than the recently uncovered ones, I found all twelve enlightening.

If you like history and archeology, I think you will enjoy this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is April 2, 2024.

Shipwrecks provide an incredible opportunity for scientists to explore the past and to draw conclusions about their finds. This book purports to capsulize human history through the exploration of twelve shipwrecks over the course of time. In it, the author tells not just the story of the ships themselves, their cargo and the people who sailed them, but also how people of different cultures, religion and ideas migrated from one place to another.

Perhaps because I grew up on the shores of one of the Great Lakes, I have always been fascinated by shipwrecks and what can be learned from them, so I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I found it to be more like a college-level textbook than something a reader would pick up for fun.

The author obviously knows a lot about the subject, and he writes well, just not in a manner that I enjoy. Each chapter focuses on a different wreck, and there was no flow from one chapter to the next, which did little to show how history flowed from one time period to another. I guess I was hoping for less detailed history and more about each shipwreck – what caused the ship to sink, artifacts found, etc. – possibly things that would have been more prominent in a television show than a book.