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Faith and Fortune

Henry and Amelia Champlin and America's Maritime Ascendancy

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Pub Date Nov 17 2026 | Archive Date Oct 05 2026

Globe Pequot | Lyons Press


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Description

Faith and Fortune is a history of the United States of America between 1780 and 1880. Using the love story of Captain Henry Champlin and his wife Amelia as the narrative vehicle, this book illuminates a remarkable yet forgotten story of the transatlantic packet ships that sailed between New York and London. These large, swift moving vessels, built to endure the harsh North Atlantic, transported raw cotton, finished textiles, mail, artwork, bills of exchange, and gold bullion in their holds; and immigrants and wealthy travelers in their passenger quarters. The narrative begins with the births of Henry and Amelia Champlin in the Connecticut shipbuilding town of Pettipaug (renamed Essex in 1823), and continues through the War of 1812, the construction and vast economic impact of the Erie Canal, the establishment of regularly-scheduled shipping service between New York and Great Britain, the Champlins’ family life in Essex and New York, the development of the transatlantic steamship, the turmoil of Civil War, and the decline of the American merchant marine (and seafaring families like the Champlins) during the Gilded Age. The story is a window into so much of American history: small-town New England life; the growth of New York City; the Second Great Awakening; American architecture and material culture; advances in shipbuilding and technology; mass-immigration from Ireland during the Potato Famine; slavery and abolitionism; the temperance movement; relations between the young United States, France, and Great Britain; and the role of women in the Early Republic/Mid-Victorian eras.

Faith and Fortune
is a compelling, moving story of the young United States that appeals to anyone interested in American cultural and economic history.

(Includes 49 Color Photographs and 94 Black & White Photographs.)
Faith and Fortune is a history of the United States of America between 1780 and 1880. Using the love story of Captain Henry Champlin and his wife Amelia as the narrative vehicle, this book...

Marketing Plan

* Launch events in Essex, CT and New York City

* Exhibits of Champlin-related artifacts and antiques at the Wadsworth Atheneum and New York Historical Society

* Promotion through the Paul Family Foundation

* This year's 250th Anniversary of the United States' founding should bring further attention to this book as well.

Previous Media Appearances

Lead author Steven Ujifusa has done many media interviews and/or appeared in various large-audience articles, including the following for reference going forward:

CBS Sunday Morning - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtVYquC9E0

National Public Radio (NPR) -

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/13/1196979319/nprs-book-of-the-day-last-ships-from-hamburg

The New York Times -

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/books/review/brought-forth-on-this-continent-harold-holzer-the-last-ships-from-hamburg-steven-ujifusa.html

WHYY: Radio Times -

https://whyy.org/episodes/saving-the-ss-united-states-2/

Fox News -

https://radio.foxnews.com/2024/03/13/the-resilient-story-of-russian-jews/

CSPAN ("Booknotes+") -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHBcdnPtN9s

The Wall Street Journal

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443991704577579623942024142?st=3vtaKE&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/the-last-ships-from-hamburg-review-voyage-to-the-golden-land-c637f449?st=8LTPQL&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

https://www.wsj.com/articles/barons-of-the-sea-review-rigging-the-market-1532050707?st=fstGpY&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Museum of Jewish Heritage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxE54PVveBY

Lapham's Quarterly

https://podcasts.apple.com/lu/podcast/episode-32-steven-ujifusa/id1223773992?i=1000416724970

Other Media Contacts

All trade publications will be sent digital review copies (watermarked) for potential review (Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, Foreword Reviews, Kirkus Reviews, etc.)

National Media

General Interest

AARP The Magazine
Reader's Digest
TIME Magazine
People Magazine
The Atlantic
The New Yorker

Business

Harvard Business Review
Fortune
FORBES
Bloomberg Business Week
The Economist
WIRED
Fast Company
Entrepreneur Magazine


U.S. History

Smithsonian
American Heritage
Journal of American History

Women's Interest

BUST
Herizons
(Canadian publication)
Harper's Bazaar
Real Simple
Good Housekeeping
Ms. Magazine
DAME

Maritime/Boating

Sea History Magazine
Marine Log
Bateaux
SAIL
Sailing
Cruising World

* Launch events in Essex, CT and New York City

* Exhibits of Champlin-related artifacts and antiques at the Wadsworth Atheneum and New York Historical Society

* Promotion through the Paul Family...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781493096732
PRICE $45.00 (USD)
PAGES 448

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