Affectionate, though not uncritical, Cruise examines and celebrates all aspects of international cruising, from the elegant and restrained to the kitsch and excessive. Packed with illustrations, it is a fascinating study of interior and exterior design, of onboard entertainment and the dining experience, of corporate identity, ephemera and graphics, all drawn from more than a century of ocean-going passenger transport. Today, cruising is a worldwide, mass-market leisure phenomenon and the ships are technologically advanced examples of 'entertainment architecture'. Where once the voyage and ports of call were the purpose, the cruise ship is now a destination in itself, but the inspiration and glamour of the Orient Line or of Cunard's 1936 Queen Mary' is not forgotten. Cruise reflects this rich mixture of nostalgia, human interest and contemporary design.

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Peter Quartermaine researches postcolonial and maritime cultures, and is the author of Building on the Sea (1996) and Port Architecture (1999). He has served as advisor to the National Maritime and Design museums in London, and to the Falmouth School of Art. He travels widely -preferably by ship. Bruce Peter lectures in design history and theory at The Glasgow School of Art.