RICHARD GARRETT - Cross-Channel

London England, Hutchinson of London, 1972. First Edition, Binding: Cloth, Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall 0091119103 Hardback Hardback. First Edition. Very slight foxing to end inside covers and edge. The first known ferry service across the Straits of Dover between England and France was operating in 300 B.C. Ever since, this twenty-mile stretch of water has served many roles. It has kept out invaders, acted as a highway for packet boats, a challenge to swimmers, and a strain on the patience and ingenuity of Channel Tunnel designers. In this book, the author tells the story of this fascinating and, sometimes, temptestuous stretch of water. In a book which is packed with anecdotes he shows how the shipping services developed from the rutimentary paddle-steamers to the modern car ferries, he gives an account of attempts to swim the Channel, and also the off-beat attempts to conquer the elements in which has been described as the silly season. He tells of the efforts of piopneer aviators and describes in some detail the early air services between London and Paris. The chequered story of the Channel Tunnel is dealt with fully. Shipwrecks; hovercraft; strange ships built with the intention of conquering sea-sickness; how the British Expeditionary Force went to France in 1914; some of the unusual passangers who travelled in the Golden Arrow and the first great train robbery - these are just a few of the stories told in a highly readable, carefully researched book of interest to anyone who has ever crossed the Channel. Illustrated. 228 pp. Plastic protective covering around D/J.