Author(s): John Maxtone-Graham (Photographs by Harvey Lloyd)

Transport

The official, Cunard-authorized book celebrating the debut of the greatest ocean liner ever built. In January 2004, Cunard Line's latest flagship, the stupendous Queen Mary 2, will sail on her maiden voyage from England. QM2 is a record-breaker. Four city blocks long and as tall as the Statue of Liberty, at $800 million, she is the most expensive and ambitious passenger vessel of all time. Her public rooms include a planetarium, ballroom, theater, cinema, Canyon Ranch Spa, and 10 restaurants. Twenty-six hundred passengers are accommodated in a splendid variety of cabins, three quarters of them with balconies overlooking the sea. Not merely a cruise ship, this fourth Cunard Queen is a true ocean liner, able to cross the Atlantic in all weathers at high speed, sustainingthe company's celebrated heritage. The Queen Mary 2 book documents the creation of this remarkable vessel from keel laying to christening. This book features stunning four-color photographs and paintings, details of design, construction, engines, lavish interiors, sea trials, and christening. It also contains archival images juxtaposing her significance against her historic predecessors. An eight-page gatefold shows a detailed cutaway of the remarkable interiors.