This is an email I sent to Peter Elson, the Shipping Correspondent of the Liverpool Echo, about a book I bought for 50p at a car boot sale.
"Hi Peter, I have in my possession a 700 page book from 1877 titled The Guion Line of U.S.Mail Steamers. Official Guide.
The address for this company was 25 Water St, Liverpool.
I would be grateful if you could tell me anything about this book and whether you think The Maritime Museum would be interested in it.
I have attached a couple of photo's."
Thanks Bill Fawcett
This is the reply I received.
Re: Guion Line Guide 1877
Dear William
What an amazing book to have! I'm afraid that I haven't seen one before and have no idea of its monetary value, but to me it seems a wonderful piece of Liverpool history. I guess the line's local office building at 25 Water St is long gone, as that area was so badly blitzed.
Likewise, I can't say if the Maritime Museum is interested. They have so much stuff donated that it all goes into storage. If you want a home for it, I keep a library of material here that readers occasionally pass on to me - what ever you do, please don't bin it!
I have copied the paragraph below out of Wikipedia for you in case you've not seen it and as noted the line was liquidated in 1894.
Thanks for contacting me.
Peter
Peter Elson
Shipping Correspondent
Liverpool Echo
Tel 0151 330 5042
The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and Guion of New York. Known primarily for transporting immigrants, in 1879 the line started commissioning Blue Riband record breakers to compete against Cunard, White Star and Inman for first class passengers. The financial troubles of one of the company's major partners in 1884 forced the firm to return its latest record breaker, the Oregon, to her builders and focus again on the immigrant trade. The company suspended sailings in 1894 because of new American restrictions on immigrant traffic.
ENDS)
Bill