Perhaps 1934 wasn’t the best time to launch a 81,237 ton liner but the Scottish John Brown shipyard started work on the hull in December 1930 and the Queen Mary entered service with her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in May 1936. The passenger capacity was 1957 served by 1174 officers and crew.
This souvenir book is as sumptuous as the liner. 12.75 inches deep by 10.5 wide with fifty pages which includes three foldouts. The gold and red cover has embossed lettering, a circle and image of the liner and a stipple effect front and back. Two papers are used for the inside pages, a matt stock and a semi matt gloss for the pictures. Nine of these are tipped in with three of them printed in metallic gold and silver inks. To give the book that special feel ribbon was used instead of staples to hold the pages together.
There are three fold-outs, two have paintings by Davis Richer showing the Cabin lounge and the restaurant on C deck. The third is a photo of Philip Connard’s painting ‘Merrie England’ at one end of the C deck restaurant. The center pages have a stunning painting of the liner by C E Turner as she leaves Clydebank for Southampton. Considering how opulent the book is I find it odd that there are no credits other than Printed in England A.2555.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteHave this booklet in my possession along with 2 similar items,RMS Mauretania & QE1.