America's Lost Treasure (CL)

Tommy Thompson is one methodical scientist. He found a ship that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1857 that had eluded searchers for 130 years. He has taken the same methodical approach in creating this book "America's Lost Treasure". Gary Kinder wrote a 1998 bestseller on Thompson's search entitled "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea". It is one of the best pageturners I have ever read! More amazing is that it actually happened! The ship was the United States Mail Steamship "Central America" which was making rounds between the Atlantic coast of Panama and New York City during the California Gold Rush era. She was a side paddlewheeler steamship and was hauling a huge cargo of gold ingots, freshly minted gold coins, gold nuggets, and gold dust along with 38,000 pieces of mail and 578 passengers. Much of the gold was being brought to New York to shore up the bullion holdings of banks that had been putting out too much paper money without the available gold reserves to back it. Most of the passengers were returning from the Gold Rush; many were women and children. The ship sank after a heroic battle with a hurricane in 1857 off the Carolinas taking about 425 lives with her and all the gold. Both books chronicle Thompson's epic adventure finding the ship and recovering the gold down 8000 feet underwater where even the US Navy couldn't effectively recover items. Kinder's book clocks in at over 500 riveting pages but, is largely without pictures of all the incredible finds. "America's Lost Treasure" fills in that photographic void quite admirably in it's 186 pages."America's Lost Treasure" is broken down into a background history of America at the time leading up to the Central America's sinking, a detailed account of the CA's fateful last voyage, a background of the equipment and people involved in the search and rediscovery of the CA, the discovery of the ship and the 'Garden of Gold', a review of the personal items found at the bottom other than the gold, and a section on the other scientific discoveries made at the site such as decay processes and new species of life found. There are hordes of very appropriate photographs that perfectly illustrate the topic discussed in the very readable and concise narration. The page layout is very well done and makes full use of the book's ten inches by ten inches size. Particularly interesting is the discovery and opening of several intact passenger's trunks revealing intact clothing and still visible photographs! The gold, however, is the expected showstopper.Overall, I can't recommend this book enough when read in companion with "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea". Some people will bristle with disfavor on the efforts in general to recover items from this wreck feeling it is a desecration of history and wrong. I couldn't help but be astounded by the disciplined and rigorous scientific and engineering skills put on display in the efforts. This is an absolutely fascinating pictorial account of a

America's Lost Treasure by Thommy Thompson may be the only "coffee table" book that readers literally cannot put down and will ultimately read from cover to cover. Anyone who has read Gary Kinder's book Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea knows the tale of Tommy Thompson's discovery of the SS Central America that sunk in 1857, laden with gold from the California Gold Rush. The two books compliment each other with very little overlap. Ship of Gold tells the fascinating story of the shipwreck itself and how a young engineer, Tommy Thompson, made his dream come true in locating and salvaging the wreck under incredibly difficult conditions and with scientific precision. Thompson's book demonstrates the story in beautiful, glowing color photographs with an equally interesting narrative. The precision, scientific knowledge and attention to detail that led him to the treasure in the first place is evident in this carefully prepared book that shows the reader what was found and emphasizes the importance of the historic artifacts located.

Having read "Ship of Gold in Deep Blue Sea"; I was thrilled to find out there was a "picture" book of same story~! And ordered it right away. Pictures are absolutely captivating. I hope Tommy Thompson will salvage another, and this time do a book, picture book and video.

You really must buy this book. And you must really buy it WITH "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea". At first I resented that "Ship of GOld" had no pictures in it; it was all text. And I still feel that way. But now I realize that the pictures of the disaster, and the history, and how the ship was found and the gold recovered, really DID deserve its own book. This book, along with its companion, "Ship of Gold", is my choice for BOOK of the YEAR!

Tommy Thompson's "America's Lost Treasure" is a fantastic history lesson, two exciting and intertwined adventure stories, and a picture text on how to do new and wonderful things. It is a coffee-table companion to Gary Kinder's "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea", and neither book is really complete without the other. The awesome pictures in "America's Lost Treasure" are exactly what the numismatic world has been clamoring for since the discovery and beginning of the salvage of the SS Central America first hit the news in 1988. The lavish use of 19th century pictures, drawings, and accounts of the sailing and sinking of the SS Central America add to the careful archaeological records of the search and salvage of her wreck. But far the most impressive thing in this book are the stunning pictures of the tons of gold coins and bars both scattered on the deep ocean floor and arranged for display after recovery.For an entertaining and educational read and two great adventure stories -- one in 1857 and one in the 1980's -- I highly recommend both "America's Lost Treasure" by Tommy Thompson and "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea" by Gary Kinder.