Project Mayflower

Reviews / Votes

I love this book! It's vivid, wry, surprising; a wonderful and enlightening tale. It brings to life a cast of characters and a set of adventures that modern readers will learn from, remember, and enjoy. -- James Fallows, author of the New York Times bestseller Our Towns and other books The true story of a plucky British World War II vet's dream of building a replica of the Mayflower and sailing her across the Atlantic, Richard A. Stone's superb Project Mayflower will engage all nonfiction readers who go in for accounts of perseverance against remarkable odds-and the maritime history buffs among them will want to make space on the bookshelf where they keep their Samuel Eliot Morisons and Nathaniel Philbricks. -- Keith Thomson, author of the New York Times bestseller Born to Be Hanged In his new book, Stone brilliantly combines stories of adventure at sea and enterprise on land. The creation of the Mayflower II is a triumphant tale of personal persistence and international cooperation following the devastation of the Second World War. -- Steven Ujifusa, author of The Last Ships from Hamburg and Barons of the Sea A rollicking, riveting glimpse behind the scenes at one of the most brash enterprises ever to take to the high seas. Mayflower II had to navigate the storms of funding, political skulduggery, and the fierce Atlantic Ocean before emerging triumphant as an enduring testament to history and human experience. -- Kate Lance, author of the Mountbatten Maritime Award-winning Alan Villiers: Voyager of the Winds Project Mayflower is a fascinating and quirky tour through the early European settlement of New England and the quixotic quest of an English World War II veteran and writer to build a replica of the Mayflower and sail it across the Atlantic in the 1950s. His lofty, attention-seeking dream-a gesture of goodwill and a symbol of triumph over adversity-led to a partnership with the scion of a wealthy New England family and a tug-of-war over the ship's purpose and future. The story, with its unexpected detours into politics, global events, and creative marketing schemes, proves the maxim that truth is stranger than fiction. -- Stephen R. Bown, author of Island of the Blue Foxes: Disaster and Triumph on the World's Greatest Scientific Expedition Stone weaves the history of the Mayflower and the process of building its replica, the Mayflower II, into a masterful narrative. Thoroughly researched, Stone uses his gift for storytelling to take the reader on an intrepid journey through the historical, financial, and political challenges of trying to re-create the past. Whether you have a passion for history, material culture, political intrigue, or sailing, there's something in Project Mayflower for everyone! -- Jamie L.H. Goodall, author of Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay, Pirates & Privateers from Long Island Sound to Delaware Bay, and The Daring Exploits of Pirate Black Sam Bellamy Project Mayflower is a richly detailed telling of the vision, determination, and endless challenges to build a perfect replica of one of the Atlantic's iconic three-masted vessels and recreate the two-month journey across the Atlantic. From the financial and political machinations that almost scuttled the project, to the manufacture of the hemp lines to seventeenth-century specifications, to the hardtack and salt pork in the sailors' mess, Richard Stone charts every step of the endeavor with meticulous research and breezy prose. -- Ted Magder, professor, Media, Culture & Communication, New York University