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BOOK REVIEWS Robert H. Smith. The Naval Institute Guide works will facilitate and promote visitation, to Maritime Museums of North America. interest and greater public support. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990. Of these three books, The Naval Insti• 338 pp., figures, index. US $24.95, Cdn. tute Press Guide by Robert Smith and Sea $27.50, paper; ISBN 0-87021-640-6. Cana• History's Guide by Joseph Stanford are sim• dian distributor, Vanwell Publishing Ltd., ilar in format and content. Each provides St. Catharines, Ont. basic information about locations, facilities, themes, collections and admissions. Each is Joseph M. Stanford. Sea History's Guide to illustrated with small-format photographs, American and Canadian Maritime though Stanford's does so more generously Museums. Croton-on-Hudson: Sea History and consistently. On the whole, the Sea Press, 1990. 113 pp., figures, index. US History Guide seems better organized and $9.50, paper, plus $1.30 shipping; ISBN 0- more practical than the Naval Institute 930248-03-1. Press version, for it is printed on coated stock and is also considerably smaller, Peter Neil and Barbara Ehrenwald Krohn about half the size of the Naval Institute (eds.). Great Maritime Museums of the effort. To me, this is a virtue in any carry- World. New York: Balsam Press, 1991. x + along guide book, provided, of course, that 304 pp,. figures., index. US $60.00, cloth; the essential information is contained ISBN 0-917439-12-0. within its covers. In this respect, the Sea History Guide does not fail. In addition to The 1990s have been heralded by the the listings, there is a foreword by John publication in North America of three Carter, one of America's leading maritime surveys of maritime museums. While some museum directors, as well as a research might assume this to be a reflection of the guide in the form of an afterword by David health and vitality of our maritime heritage, Hull, Principal Librarian of the San professionals within the museum world Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. know these to be difficult times. Still, the The Sea History Guide achieves its very number of institutions represented is economy of space partly by its very dense impressive and certainly reflects the relative print and lay-out (those unhappy with this popularity of museums and historic sites will prefer the more spacious presentation concerned with shipping in all its forms. of the Naval Institute Guide) and partly by Moreover, the arrival of these volumes can a tiered approach: larger more important be seen both as the fulfilment of a need institutions receive a full listing and photo• and as a cause for hope, namely that these graph, while smaller sites are given a short summary. By contrast, The Naval Institute 55 56 The Northern Mariner Guide uses the same format for each site they face today, discussed. Similarly, the listed. This will please those who feel that contribution of museums to our knowledge the value and virtues of smaller institutions of maritime history is not explored. are too often overlooked. On these Most of the largest, oldest and best grounds, Canadian readers should be dis• known maritime museums appear in this pleased with the fact that the Sea History book, though beyond that the selection of Guide relegates all Canadian museums to institutions appears rather arbitrary (where, second tier status and only provides photo• for example, is the Peabody Museum of graphs for the two main Nova Scotia list• Salem, Massachusetts?) This is perhaps ings. This sort of bias is common enough explained by the fact that the book was and it is easy to imagine the reasons which organized and produced by a kind of joint might be offered in explanation. Neverthe• venture arrangement with the various parti• less, surely Sea History could try a little cipants. The Canadian museums that harder when the adjective "Canadian" is appear are the Vancouver Maritime featured so prominently on its cover! This Museum, the Maritime Museum of the treatment as an afterthought is also evident Atlantic in Halifax and the Fisheries in the introductions of both guides which, Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg. aside from various references to the univer• Each institution is represented by an sal importance of the sea, provides contexts employee, usually the director. The result which are unmistakably American. No is a thinly disguised, extended promotional doubt the usual pragmatic considerations brochure. While each author approached apply but John Carter, as Vice-President of the task with an individual style, the tone is the International Congress of Maritime almost invariably upbeat and descriptive, as Museums, should know better. Ultimately, one would expect in an advertisement. This the best solution would be for Canadians approach has obvious utility and the infor• simply to produce their own guide, some• mation provided will undoubtedly be of thing which would be a most appropriate interest to many maritime enthusiasts. project for the publishers of this journal. Nevertheless, the book does little to chal• Great Maritime Museums of the World lenge the reader or inform him or her of is also intended as a survey and source of any limitations or deficiencies. It is a truism information for the avid visitor of maritime that one ought not to criticize a book for museums, but otherwise stands entirely what it does not attempt to do, but in this apart from the other guides. It is a coffee case one can fairly argue that the intention table book, in both the best and worst of the book, like the criteria for selection, sense. With its attractive design, large is never very clearly defined. format, hard cover, colour images and As a celebration of the wealth of international scope, it is aimed at the con• maritime collections and the institutions noisseur and is intended to be savoured at that contain and preserve them, Great home rather than kept at hand. Yet, like Maritime Museums of the World certainly many books of this sort, it deals with its has its merits and will no doubt please subject matter in a superficial and uncriti• anyone who, in the words of Walter Cron- cal manner. Thus, nowhere do the editors kite quoted on the dust-jacket, seeks explain what makes a maritime museum "another volume over which those of us great. Nor is the history of this particular enamored of the sea can dream." Whether species of museum, or the challenges which or not evoking such dreams will ultimately Book Reviews 57 serve the best interests of our maritime The forms are set up for a manual heritage, however, remains to be seen. access to information. If the results of the inventory process have been extensive, Garth Wilson these will result in an overload of data Ottawa, Ontario which cannot be easily analyzed. The publi• cation does not venture into the area of Lynn Hickerson (ed.). Historic Maritime automated data storage and retrieval, but a Resources: Planning For Preservation. skilled historic resource planner could Washington, DC: Office of Maritime Pres• develop a database to serve this purpose. ervation, National Trust for Historic Pres• Considering that this paper is also the ervation, 1990. xi + 148 pp., appendices, proposal of a planning model, more defini• photographs, bibliography, index. US $15 + tive information concerning the form and $2 postage, paper, cerlox-bound. degree of completeness of the data being inventoried would have been useful. The This practical handbook is intended to pilot study helps to put the usage of the guide both layman and professional in system in a practical context but the planning for the preservation of historic examples in the pilot study are not necess• maritime resources. These include large arily complete and it could be frustrating vessels, small craft, shipwrecks and hulks, for a user who is attempting to use it as a aids to navigation, maritime facilities (sites, reference text not to have the information buildings, objects, water's edge) and living at the fingertips. traditions. Since the inventorying and planning of The handbook was developed to meet marine resources is now gathering attention a perceived need for practical aids in gath• from heritage, cultural and business inter• ering data on maritime heritage that was ests, this publication makes a positive and missing from the planning processes of useful contribution to the structuring of local, state and federal governments. In projects and maintenance of resource proposing a planning model, the book inventories. Planning always works best as evolves a traditional community planning a "grass-roots" exercise and the tools approach into a more specialized focus on offered here allow citizen participation as the marine components of a community or well as NGOs and government agencies. area. This type of approach is familiar to planners of historic sites and would easily John M. MacFarlane be adapted to a Canadian milieu. In prov• Victoria, British Columbia inces or communities without a tradition of planning of historic resources this publica• D J. Munro. Microforms for Historians: A tion also acts as a short-course in the Finding-List of Research Collections in approaches that can be taken. London Libraries. London: The Institute of This is a reference text; three main Historical Research, University of London, sections cover "Creating The Plan," "Get• 1990. xii + 100 pp., 1201 entries, 3 indexes. ting The Facts" and "Taking Action." After £13.50, spiral-bound; ISBN 1-871348-04-8. an example set of inventory forms, a pilot study carried out in Gloucester, Massachu• Microform may be an "unloved format," in setts is included to illustrate the use of DJ. Munro's words, yet it has compensa• techniques discussed earlier in the text.