British novel about maritime wonders

The relevance of reading and understanding the content of this book, written under the general version of Harold Wheelera in the first half of the 20th century, in our opinion, is very important from a cognitive point of view for all the development of sea business and its role in world civilization.
In the book in the most popular form, it is described about the centuries-old history of ship and shipbuilding, geographic discoveries, special sectors of the sea (engines and movers, lighthouses, ports, channels, the service of salvation, gasket of the underwater cable), about such entertaining sides of the sea Stories like piracy, shipwreck, traditions and superstition of sailors of different countries, riots on board, smuggling, Robinsonad and a lot. Now there are extensive literature (and Internet resources), let"s say, about famous tea clippers or about the blue ribbon of the Atlantic. But the authors of this book managed so in detail and enjoy these (and others) of the most interesting stages of maritime history, that modern opportunities will only complement the reader already formed by the reader