The Iron Ship: The Story of Brunel's SS Great Britain

This a very in-depth work, which doesn't simply present the ship in a vacuum, and is a full-blooded maritime history that isn't deathly dull to boot. The book goes into quite a bit of detail on the early history of iron shipbuilding, steam propelling machinery, and the achievements of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his father Marc. The development and construction of the ship, her machinery, and General Arrangements are also covered in some depth. About 100 pages are devoted to her career, from triumphant introduction into service, to her "end" in 1937 as an ancient coaling hulk scuttled off the Falkland Islands. There's also a number of detailed appendixes, including specifications of the ship and machinery, information on each voyage, an accident log, and a thorough glossary.