A book about the hulls of ships lying on the ocean floor could be uninspiring, but author Rick Archbold’s clever combination of personal anecdotes with underwater descriptions makes for an interesting read. Based on the explorations of Robert Ballard – the discoverer of the Titanic – Ghostliners deals with the sinking of five giant ships: the Titanic, the Empress of Ireland, which sank in the St. Lawrence River, the Lusitania, the Britannic, and the Italian Andrea Doria.

Archbold’s use of the first person when describing Ballard’s submarine descent and the ships and artifacts sighted on the sea bottom is very effective and exciting. Interestingly, Archbold intersperses these descriptions with detailed accounts of what happened aboard before and during the sinkings. These accounts include numerous stories of the close calls and, in some cases, miraculous rescues of the survivors. Archbold also keeps our interest by presenting some of the sinkings as mysteries to solve.

The text is greatly enhanced not only by underwater photographs, photos of passengers, and amazingly realistic paintings by Ken Marschall, but also by the design of the book. The balance between text and illustrations makes each double spread inviting to the reader at first glance. Readers as young as eight will no doubt be drawn to the illustrations, but the text is more suited for 12-year-olds and up.

Both public and school libraries would do well to stock up on Ghostliners as it is likely to be a popular item on their shelves.