STERN’S VIEW

Cruise enthusiast and writer Roger Cartwright has come up with two companion volumes which are well worth seeking out for anyone interested in the history of British cruising and cruise ships.

P&O: The Cruise Ships is a well-researched history dating back to the formation of the Peninsular & Oriental line from 1837 to the present day, and including all the vessels of both P&O and sister brand Princess Cruises, with its Grand-class vessels of 115,000 tons.

Cruise Britannia is then a comprehensive story of British cruise vessels, as a joint collaboration with Clive Harvey (updated from their original 2004 printing).

From the first pleasure-based voyages in the 1880s to the mega-ships of P&O in the 21st century. It devotes the first 67 of its 221 pages to the history, and then the next 150 to a wonderful A-Z cruise line breakdown of that period (with a wealth of photography), including all the recent vessels from the likes of Thomson Cruises, Ocean Village and up to the new Ventura of P&O Cruises.

Both books are available from The History Press at