Working from an array of sources, Roland (history, Duke U.) has discovered it is shipping along the coastal and inland waters (brown water shipping) that has always dominated the industry. Roland also finds that the majority of public and professional interest emphasizes the international, from colonial times through the era of inland shipping from 1783 to 1861, the industrial age up to 1914, and even during the extended war era up to 1956. He describes the people who toiled behind the scenes in domestic shipping, including the ones who did not make it rich, and the automated bulk carrier system that changed the industry completely. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)