This work investigates the cultural and social significance of the great ocean liners that defined transatlantic travel during the early twentieth century. The authors, John Malcolm Brinnin and Kenneth Gaulin, utilize historical archives and period documentation to reconstruct the era of luxury maritime transit. They argue that these vessels functioned as floating microcosms of national identity, class structure, and technological ambition.

Historians and maritime enthusiasts frequently cite this text for its comprehensive visual and narrative documentation of the ocean liner era. Experts note that the prose balances historical rigor with an accessible overview of the social atmosphere aboard these vessels.