Barons of the Sea

And their Race to Build the World's Fastest Clipper Ship

De: Steven Ujifusa

Narrado por: Arthur Morey

“A fascinating, fast-paced history…full of remarkable characters and incredible stories” about the nineteenth-century American dynasties who battled for dominance of the tea and opium trades (Nathaniel Philbrick, National Book Award–winning author of In the Heart of the Sea).

There was a time, back when the United States was young and the robber barons were just starting to come into their own, when fortunes were made and lost importing luxury goods from China. It was a secretive, glamorous, often brutal business—one where teas and silks and porcelain were purchased with profits from the opium trade. But the journey by sea to New York from Canton could take six agonizing months, and so the most pressing technological challenge of the day became ensuring one’s goods arrived first to market, so they might fetch the highest price.

“With the verse of a natural dramatist” (The Christian Science Monitor), Steven Ujifusa tells the story of a handful of cutthroat competitors who raced to build the fastest, finest, most profitable clipper ships to carry their precious cargo to American shores. They were visionary, eccentric shipbuilders, debonair captains, and socially ambitious merchants with names like Forbes and Delano—men whose business interests took them from the cloistered confines of China’s expatriate communities to the sin city decadence of Gold Rush-era San Francisco, and from the teeming hubbub of East Boston’s shipyards and to the lavish sitting rooms of New York’s Hudson Valley estates.

Elegantly written and meticulously researched, Barons of the Sea is a riveting tale of innovation and ingenuity that “takes the reader on a rare and intoxicating journey back in time” (Candice Millard, bestselling author of Hero of the Empire), drawing back the curtain on the making of some of the nation’s greatest fortunes, and the rise and fall of an all-American industry as sordid as it was genteel.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Full of remarkable characters and incredible stories, Steven Ujifusa’s Barons of the Sea is a fascinating, fast-paced history of America’s clipper ship era. Highly recommended.”
— Nathaniel Philbrick, National Book Award-winning author of In the Heart of the Sea

“Fast-paced and entrancing... recounting freak storms, improbable romances, and mutinies on the high seas.... Ujifusa tells these stories with the verve of a natural dramatist.... Masterfully done.”
— The Christian Science Monitor

“Barons of the Sea is a riveting, raucous book. If you love the sea, it’s all here: dreams, money, ambition, and competition.”
— Jay Winik, bestselling author of April 1865

“Barons of the Sea moves as fast as a clipper ship at full sail. With a seemingly effortless command of the shared history of China and the United States in the nineteenth century, Ujifusa takes the reader on a rare and intoxicating journey back in time.”
— Candice Millard, bestselling author of Hero of the Empire

“Among the pleasures of Barons of the Sea is the author’s extensive knowledge of ship design and nautical history; the book is almost a beginner’s manual in sailing and is infused by a clear love for the regal triple-masters of the past.... The ships themselves, rather than the owners and captains, become the main characters.”
— The Wall Street Journal

“As learned as it is entertaining. Ujifusa has brought the golden age of American maritime commerce to vivid life. Extraordinary people and the wondrous clipper ships they built fill its pages with both great stories and deep insight into what makes humans of any age tick.”
— John Steele Gordon, author of An Empire of Wealth

“Barons of the Sea has the... narrative ease of a novel. Occasionally funny and always richly detailed, this book paints a comprehensive portrait of an American era all but forgotten in the days of next-day delivery.”
— Sail Magazine

“This crisply told story of the race to build the fastest ship in the world reads like a thriller, reminiscent of the best of Nathanial Philbrick’s sea writing. It carries the reader along like a precious cargo on the high seas. I simply could not put it down.”
— Admiral James Stavridis, Chairman of the US Naval Institute and former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO

“Barons of the Sea captures both the majesty of clipper ships and the heart of the bold men who wanted to see them go faster and carry more. This story of ambition, innovation, and technology in the age of swift-sailing merchant ships will keep you enthralled.”
— Dean King, bestselling author of Skeletons on the Zahara

Very interesting history

Listening to this one can understand why the Chinese government doesn’t like the west - forcing opium on their people. Very interesting and a good listen.

must read

if you have any interest in the great sailing ships this is a must read book

Fascinating history of the China Clipper trade

I got this book to learn more about one of the Barons of the Sea, born in Fairhaven MA, but I learned a lot about the history of trade with China, the financers, architects, builders, and captains of the China Clippers who transported tea and spices from China and often transported opium to China. The audiobook is fast-paced and the narration is excellent.

Lost at sea

Facinating subject matter and research hampered by a lack of theme or throughline to pull it together. The book doesn't end so much as it just stops. I had to listen to the last chapter twice just to see if I'd missed something. Worth it for me, but perhaps not good for the casual reader.

entertaining, educational and well-told

the headline says it all- do I really need to say more audible? Audible's minimum review is itself an annoyance.

Engaging tale of the clipper ship era

Mr. Ujifusa paints a masterful story of the race to build the fastest clipper ships for trade to China, California, and eventually Australia. Weaving in the roots of some of America’s founding families, this book keeps you engaged. The narrator does an excellent job with the material.

learning about seabarans and the history of the ti

Book provides a wonderful sense of who these men were and the times on which they lived. I enjoyed learning about where FDR was in this huge family tree and his patrician roots. it is quite amazing with his background that he became the champion of the ordinary man. A good read. Could not always visualize shipbuilding perhaps because listened on audible rather than read