Sign-In
Cart
The Pageant of the Packets: A Book of American Steamboating
Hardcover
Boating19th Century United States History
ISBN13: 9781025890029
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 350
Weight: 1.47
Height: 0.81 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Pageant of the Packets: A Book of American Steamboating is a comprehensive and evocative exploration of the golden age of river travel in the United States. Garnett Laidlaw Eskew captures the romance and technical prowess of the steamboat era, focusing heavily on the majestic vessels that once dominated the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The narrative traces the evolution of the packet boat, from its early development to its peak as a vital artery of American commerce and social life.
Through a series of engaging accounts, the work details the colorful characters-captains, pilots, and passengers-who populated these floating palaces. The book explores the fierce competitions between rival lines, the inherent dangers of river navigation, and the unique culture that flourished along the riverbanks. Eskew blends historical fact with a storyteller's flair, illustrating how steamboating shaped the economic and cultural landscape of the American interior during the nineteenth century.
The Pageant of the Packets serves as both a meticulous historical record and a tribute to a vanished way of life. It offers a nostalgic yet informative look at the steam-powered giants that defined an era of American expansion, ingenuity, and regional identity.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Also in
Boating
Titanic: The Ship Magnificent - Volume One: Design and Construction
Klistorner, Daniel
Beveridge, Bruce
Braunschweiger, Art
Hardcover
Titanic: The Ship Magnificent - Volume Two: Interior Design and Fitting Out
Beveridge, Bruce
Braunschweiger, Art
Hall, Steve
Hardcover
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (National Book Award Winner)
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Paperback
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
Sobel, Dava
Paperback
The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism
Bacon, John U.
Paperback
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
Sides, Hampton
Paperback
Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World
Druett, Joan
Paperback
Ashley Book of Knots: Every Practical Knot--What It Looks Like, Who Uses It, Where It Comes From, and How to Tie It
Ashley, Clifford
Hardcover
The Band That Played on: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic
Turner, Steve
Paperback
Modern Marine Weather: From Time-honored Traditional Knowledge to the Latest Technology
Burch, David
Paperback
Long Term Almanac 2000-2050: For the Sun and Selected Stars With Concise Sight Reduction Tables, 2nd Edition
Kolbe, Geoffrey
Paperback
On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic
Wormstedt, Bill
Layton, Kent
Fitch, Tad
Paperback
Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew
Hicks, Brian
Paperback
Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes: Legends And Lore, Pirates And More!
Varhola, Michael
Paperback
The Lost Boys of Montauk: The True Story of the Wind Blown, Four Men Who Vanished at Sea, and the Survivors They Left Behind
Fairbanks, Amanda M.
Paperback
Deadliest Sea: The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History
Thompson, Kalee
Paperback
Navigation Rules and Regulations Handbook
United States Coast Guard
Department of Homeland Security
Hardcover
Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro
Slade, Rachel
Paperback
The Captain, The Missionary, and the Bell: The Wreck of the Steamship Atlantic
Larsson, Eric
Paperback
The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale: First-Person Accounts
Nickerson, Thomas
Chase, Owen
Paperback
American Small Sailing Craft: Their Design, Development and Construction
Chapelle, Howard I.
Hardcover
Shipwrecks of the Pacific Northwest: Tragedies and Legacies of a Perilous Coast
Maritime Archaeological Society
Hardcover
Secrets of the Viking Navigators: How the Vikings Used Their Amazing Sunstones and Other Techniques to Cross the Open Ocean
Karlsen, Leif K.
Paperback
We, the Navigators: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific (Second Edition)
Lewis, David
Paperback
Inland and Coastal Navigation: For Power-driven and Sailing Vessels, 2nd Edition
Burch, David
Paperback
Fifty Ships That Changed the Course of History: A Nautical History of the World
Graham, Ian
Paperback
Navigation Rules And Regulations Handbook (Color Print): Containing International & Inland Rules
Department of Homeland Security
United States Coast Guard
Paperback
Fatal Treasure: Greed and Death, Emeralds and Gold, and the Obsessive Search for the Legendary Ghost Galleon Atocha
Smith, Jedwin
Paperback
The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect
Gebhart, Richard
Paperback
The Death Ship: Recovering the Bodies of Titanic's Dead
Victoria Brown, Victoria
Brown, Victoria
Hardcover
The Complete Yachtmaster 11th Edition: Sailing, Seamanship and Navigation for the Modern Yacht Skipper
Cunliffe, Tom
Hardcover
Navigation Workbook 1210 Tr: For Power-Driven and Sailing Vessels
Brandt, Larry
Burch, David
Paperback
Submarine Aircraft Carriers: From World War I to the Age of Drones
Gunnarson, Jacob
Polmar, Norman
Hardcover
Boatbuilding: A Complete Handbook of Wooden Boat Construction (Revised)
Chapelle, Howard I.
Hardcover
Too Much Sea for Their Decks: Shipwrecks of Minnesota's North Shore and Isle Royale
Schumacher, Michael
Paperback
The Star Finder Book: A Complete Guide to the Many Uses of the 2102-D Star Finder
Burch, David
Paperback
Sailing a Serious Ocean: Sailboats, Storms, Stories and Lessons Learned from 30 Years at Sea
Kretschmer, John
Hardcover
Guardians of the North: Canadian Warships and Maritime Aircraft, 1910-2025
Gimblett, Richard H.
Gagnon, Karl
Hardcover
Long Term Almanac 2000-2050: For the Sun and Selected Stars With Concise Sight Reduction Tables, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)
Kolbe, Geoffrey
Hardcover
Starpath Celestial Navigation Work Forms: For All Sights and Tables, with Complete Instructions and Examples
Burch, David
Paperback
Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea
Tougias, Michael J.
Paperback
Shipwreck Rescues of the Outer Banks: Sensational Wrecks and Heroic Rescues by the United States Life-Saving Service
Charlet, James D.
Hardcover
Nagato-Class Battleships 1920-46: The Imperial Japanese Navy's Super-Dreadnoughts
Draminski, Stefan
Paperback
101 Things You Thought You Knew about the Titanic . . . but Didn't!
Maltin, Tim
Aston, Eloise
Paperback
The Wreck of the Portland: A Doomed Ship, a Violent Storm, and New England's Worst Maritime Disaster
Conway, J. North
Paperback
The Troller Yacht Book: How to Cross Oceans Without Getting Wet or Going Broke - 2nd Edition
Buehler, George
Hardcover
Advanced Marine Electrics and Electronics Troubleshooting: A Manual for Boatowners and Marine Technicians
Sherman, Ed
Hardcover
Modern Marine Weather: From Time-honored Traditional Knowledge to the Latest Technology
Burch, David
Hardcover
Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do
Tougias, Michael J.
Paperback
Instant Boatbuilding with Dynamite Payson: 15 Instant Boats for Power, Sail, Oar, and Paddle
Payson, Harold H.
Paperback
Navigation Workbook 18465 Tr: For Power-Driven and Sailing Vessels
Burch, David
Brandt, Larry
Paperback
Blackbeard's Sunken Prize: The 300-Year Voyage of Queen Anne's Revenge
Carnes-McNaughton, Linda F.
Wilde-Ramsing, Mark U.
Paperback
Wreck of the Carl D.: A True Story of Loss, Survival, and Rescue at Sea
Schumacher, Michael
Paperback
From Novembers to Sierras: Soviet Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarines
Vilches Alarcón, Alejandro A.
Paperback
Titanic Survivor: The Newly Discovered Memoirs of Violet Jessop Who Survived Both the Titanic and Britannic Disasters
Jessop, Violet
Paperback
From the Center of America: Steamboats and Shipyards Along the Lower Ohio River
Swenson, Robert H.
Paperback
Boat Crew Seamanship Manual (COMDTINST M16114.5C)
United States Coast Guard
U. S. Department of Homeland Security
Paperback
The Shipwright and the Schooner: Building a Windjammer in the New England Tradition
Burnham, Harold
Paperback
Inland and Coastal Navigation: For Power-driven and Sailing Vessels, 2nd Edition
Burch, David
Hardcover
Hawaii by Sextant: An In-Depth Exercise in Celestial Navigation Using Real Sextant Sights and Logbook Entries
Miller, Stephen
Burch, David
Paperback
Barons of the Sea: And Their Race to Build the World's Fastest Clipper Ship
Ujifusa, Steven
Paperback