Richard Detrich’s Boquete, Panama Weblog

When we had travel agencies I always recommended books for people taking cruises:  You get so much more out of a voyage if you understand some of the historical background.  Now that I’m lecturing on ships, people are always asking for a list of these recommendations.  Some of these books can get a bit tedious at times, but in the end you will be rewarded with an appreciation of the areas you are visiting.

 *Are “required” reading!  Others are “extra credit.” 

This guy in Dakar not only remembered the last time I visited and bought stuff from him, he remembered what I bought and what I paid!

Europe 

*Ken Follett, PILLARS OF THE EARTH - Historically based novel that will give an appreciation of how cities developed, the importance and building of city walls and cathedrals, even Oprah liked it.

Alaska

*Janet Dailey, THE GREAT ALONE - Historically based novel set across the ages in Alaska: gives a good sweep of “the great land”.

Caribbean 

*James A Michener, CARIBBEAN - An epic historically based novel that will help you appreciate the complex and interwoven history of the islands.

Herman Wouk, DON’T STOP THE CARNIVAL - A fun read set in pre-“Little Switzerland” St. Thomas, in the days before 10 cruise ships and 20,000 passengers descended each and every day.  The most memorable characters, including the Governor and his mistress, were based on real St. Thomians!  Will help you appreciate the complex interactions of life in the Caribbean.

Mexico

*James Michener, MEXICO - More than just tequila, beaches and condos . . .  another epic Michener book.

Panama 

*David McCullough, THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS - “The” definitive history of the construction of the Panama Canal: don’t take a Canal cruise without first reading this book.

Douglas Galbraith, THE RISING SUN - No, it’s not about Japan.  “The Rising Sun” was the name of a Scottish ship that established the first settlement in Panama with high hopes of digging a canal by hand!  Based on actual notes of the expedition’s clerk who was one of the few to survive, this is a fantastic historical novel and amazingly is a “first book.”

Richard Detrich, ESCAPE TO PARADISE - But of course!  Conveniently an ebook available at www.BeautifulPanama.com.  The story of how we happened to decide to retire in Panama and what you should consider if you’ve ever thought of moving abroad.

Italy 

Edward Bulwer-Lytton, THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII - A classic, and a “must read” if you are visiting Naples and Pompeii, told from the perspective of the Roman aqueduct engineer.

African Slave Trade

These books were suggested by Dr. Latifah Chinnery, a former professor at City College in New York, who sailed with us on the ROTTERDAM following the path of Middle Passage from Portugal to Senegal to Brazil. 

Hugh Thomas, The SLAVE TRADE: THE STORY OF THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE: 1440 – 1870

Walter Rodney, HOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA -  Rodney that much of the “Third World” is a product of European Imperialism in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Pirates

Stephan Talty, EMPIRE OF BLUE WATER - Captain Morgan’s Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaw’s Bloody Reign.  Of particular interest because Morgan was very active against the Spanish in Panama.

Cruising & Ships 

John Maxtone-Graham, THE ONLY WAY TO CROSS - Maxtone-Graham is “the” ship historian and THE ONLY WAY TO CROSS is a nostalgic look at the days of the great transatlantic liners.

John Maxtone-Graham, LINERS TO THE SUN - Maxtone-Graham traces the transition from transatlantic ocean transportation to today’s cruise vacation ships.

Bob Dickinson and Andy Vladimir, SELLING THE SEA:  AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE CRUISE INDUSTRY - If you’ve ever wondered how the industry works . . . Bob Dickinson, former CEO of Carnival, basically created the cruise industry as we know it.