The Ships That Built the West – An author book signing and presentation by Olaf Engvig – at the Ojai Library
Local Ventura County author Olaf Engvig will visit the Ojai Library at 6pm on Thursday, February 23, 2023, and the E.P. Foster Library at 2pm on Saturday, February 25, 2023, to deliver a talk on his book The Ships That Built the West: The Scandinavian Navy, WAPAMA and VÆRDALEN.
This informal and fun lecture focuses on material from Engvig’s latest book. The Ships That Built the West is the winner of the 9th Karl Kortum Maritime History Award. The Scandinavian Navy refers to ships and/or seamen from Scandinavia in the 1880-1945 time period. The US West Coast was built with the help of these ships and men. The book also shares the stories of related ships, such as the steam schooner WAPAMA and the restoration of the hybrid ship VÆRDALEN, now the sole survivor representing the famed Scandinavian Navy. This is the very first time the story of these thousands of seamen is being told.
Mr. Engvig will sign and sell his book at a discount after his presentation. Award-winning Norwegian-American author Olaf Engvig holds a graduate degree in maritime history and is an expert on Scandinavian ships and their building materials (wood, iron, and steel). Born in Norway, he now resides in California. He was named Scandinavian American of the Year in 2015, received the Karl Kortum Maritime History Award in 2018, and is the recipient of two Norwegian royal medals for his work with preserving our maritime heritage.
These events are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at (805) 218-9146 or ron.solorzano@ventura.org.
The E.P. Foster Library is located at 651 East Main Street in Ventura, CA. Hours of service are 10am to 7pm Monday through Thursday, 10am to 5pm Friday and Saturday, and 1pm to 5pm Sunday.
The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai, CA. Hours of service are 10am to 8pm Monday through Thursday and 12pm to 5pm Friday through Sunday.