Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Merchant Marine and Shipping Industry

A foremost authority has written the first comprehensive reference about the U.S. Merchant Marine and American shipping from the introduction of steamships to today's diesel containerships--showing the impact of politics, economics, and technology on maritime history during the last two centuries. Over 500 entries describe people, private companies, business and labor groups, engineering and technological developments, government agencies, terms, key laws, landmark cases, issues, events, and ships of note. Short lists of references for further reading accompany these entries. Appendices include a chronology, diagrams of government organizations, and lists of business and labor groups by founding dates. An unusually extensive index lends itself to the varying research interests of students, teachers, and professionals in maritime and economic history, business-labor-government relations, and military studies.

?De la Pedraja, has put together a wonderful collection of over five hundred entries covering people, ships, companies, unions, government agencies, laws, and almost anything else to do with merchant steam shipping. It is an excellent reference work that fills an informational void and should be acquired for any library dealing with maritime studies.?-The American Neptune, ?The dictionary's ample entries clearly explain the importance of their subjects, and embedded cross-references link related entries and (as does the index) serve as pointers to entries defining technical terms. With clarity and sufficient depth--but not so much as to exceed most readers' personal load lines--the dictionary fills a void in American business and history reference collections.?-Wilson Library Bulletin, ?This work gives exhaustive yet concise treatment of nearly everything related to the U.S. Merchant Marine and shipping since the introduction of steam in 1807. Historians, political scientists, economists, and ship lore enthusiasts will find here a gold mine of information about a fascinating period of American history and those individuals and institutions who contributed to it. The excellent bibliographic essay extends references and citations to additional government publications, legislation, public policies, business and labor issues, and the most recent developments in marine propulsion and technology from the literature of science and commerce. General readers; upper-division undergraduate and above.?-Choice, "De la Pedraja, has put together a wonderful collection of over five hundred entries covering people, ships, companies, unions, government agencies, laws, and almost anything else to do with merchant steam shipping. It is an excellent reference work that fills an informational void and should be acquired for any library dealing with maritime studies."-The American Neptune, "The dictionary's ample entries clearly explain the importance of their subjects, and embedded cross-references link related entries and (as does the index) serve as pointers to entries defining technical terms. With clarity and sufficient depth--but not so much as to exceed most readers' personal load lines--the dictionary fills a void in American business and history reference collections."-Wilson Library Bulletin

RENE DE LA PEDRAJA, is Professor of History at Canisius College and the author of The United States Merchant Shipping Industry during the Twentieth Century: A History (1990)./e Other recent books cover the history of energy policies and industries in South America.