"Ocean Liners of the Past" is a series based primarily on facsimile material from "The Shipbuilder," later known as "The Shipbuilder and Marine Engine-Builder." This highly respected British journal regularly devoted complete, enlarged issues to comprehensive descriptions of important commercial vessels on the occasions of their commissionings. These "Souvenir Numbers" contained a wealth of technical detail about the ships themselves, their fittins, design and building, with plans an illustrations and short illustrated histories of the owners and builders. The original Souvenir Numbers have long been out of print and are rare collectors" items. The facsimile material reprinted in this series is an invaluable source of information on the design and building of Britain"s greatest commercial vessels.