Dynasties of the Sea

The Shipowners and Financiers Who Expanded the Era of Free Trade

By: Lori Ann LaRocco

Narrated by: Kitty Hendrix

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Dynasties of the Sea is the first audiobook to examine one of the most powerful forces in global trade and economic development: world shipping and the magnates who drive the industry.

Operating from Monaco to Hong Kong, London to Athens, Singapore to Oslo, shipowners and their financiers have changed the world in every way. From transporting agricultural products from Brazil to Africa and the Middle East, to delivering Australian iron ore to China, to carrying Middle East crude oil to Asia and the Americas, to carrying almost every article of clothing you are wearing and every electronic device in the world, ship-owners have enabled global economic development and helped raise the global standard of living.

While ocean shipping remains one of the most important businesses in the world, it is also one of the most volatile. Affected by such imponderables as weather and political upheaval, ship-owning cultures have maintained their commitment to an industry that has endured for centuries - and will continue to endure for centuries to come.

©2012 Marine Money International (P)2013 New Street Communications, LLC

Excellent all around

What made the experience of listening to Dynasties of the Sea the most enjoyable?

The portraits of these titans of the shipping industry are cleverly and eloquently painted by author Lori Ann LaRocco, and the narration for this audio edition is authoritative and effective. Highly recommended for those with an interest in the subject. I never realized the shipping industry, and the complex capitalization behind it, was quite the gamblers' game that it turns out to be. Makes most other entrepreneurial risks seem quite trivial and tame by comparison. Learning this was alone worth the price of admission.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The elaboration of the "crap shoot" aspect of capitalization for international shipping, and the high-stakes complexities of the trade.

What does Kitty Hendrix bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator does an excellent job of rendering often complex material in an inviting and intuitively-compelling manner.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Once again, the complex and high-risk capitalization behind such ventures.

allows for an understanding of the shipping world

fantastic and rich in history and the forgotten back stories. it allowed me an insight into strategies and risks of the industry.

The Industry King of Free Trade

Would you consider the audio edition of Dynasties of the Sea to be better than the print version?

The audio version brought the book up to a whole new level

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The depth of the characters introduced through industry short stories

What does Kitty Hendrix bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A female twist to a dominant male industry - changing everyday

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No particular moment

Any additional comments?

90% of the things we own at home and at the workplace were delivered by ship. A long history filled with many players throughout the world. A difficult subject rarely discussed and the book introduces the men and women that continue to make this industry a leader in Global trade. Well Done

Enjoyable and informative

Dynasties of the Sea is a fantastic listen. As someone in the early stages of my career, I found the audiobook to be full of great advice about what it takes to become a successful leader - not just in shipping, but in any business. The narrative contains an interesting blend of old world stories, such as the family lessons Intercargo's Nicholas Pappadakis takes to heart, and is relevant to the 21st century, with anecdotes like Peter Evensen's implementation of social media into Teekay's business practices. Great fun!

An interesting read

There are dozens of books about the lives of the great robber barons of the past that amassed great wealth. This was a very interesting sneak peek at the lives of the modern day magnates of shipping.

Cliches and a beautiful image

This book contains mostly a very glorified picture of each of the individuals that could come directly from glossy brochures.

It is obvious that the author does not want to ask hard questions, dig deep into the matter or try to discover what really lead these men to their success.

Yes, people matter. Yes, they have all been successful in the end. But how was the eay getting there? How did they succeed? What have they learned?

I refuse to believe that these guys have just gotten where they are because they have visited their workers at the hospital or funded schools. I had hoped to gain some insight into shipping, the industry and it's people. This book did mostly not achieve any of this. The chapter about Stolt-Nielsen and the one about Trøim came close, but the other 13 did not.

So if you want to learn avout shipping, you should rather check out other books. For example Shipping Economics or The Shipping Man.

So bad it hurts.

What disappointed you about Dynasties of the Sea?

Reads like a which school book report,

What was most disappointing about Lori Ann LaRocco’s story?

Lacks the vision thing. Turns and interesting subject into a series of disjointed quotes.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kitty Hendrix?

Anyone she even got the pauses between chapters wrong much to long.