Review by Felix Bustelo

This volume is one of the two that I have seen in the Liner Books series, with the other covering Holland America Lines Rotterdam IV of 1959. This soft cover book is very compact, measuring only 9.25 by 6.50 inches (about 23.5 by 16.5 centimeters) and contains very little text. There is a one page forward by Luis Miguel Correia and a brief history of the Canberra by noted ocean liner historian William H. Miller. The last pages of the book have two pages of facts and figures as well as a three page chronological history. In total, there are 64 pages to this volume.

While this book may be short on words, it more than makes up for it with photographs. The book's real strength is in the number and quality of the photographs covering the entire career of the Canberra, including her service as a troop transport during the 1982 Falkland Islands War. Including the cover, there are 72 color and 21 black and white photographs in various sizes. Some of the photos are of other ships in the P&O fleet, which is the house that owned and operated the Canberra. Seeing her in comparison to some of the newer P&O ships, one can note the influence her design had on the current cruise ships.

This book is a must have reference for anyone wishing to build and detail the Airfix kit of the Canberra and this is the reason why I purchased it.