This is a story of three men and a boat – a story that knits together the triumphs, terrors and tragedies of the dawning 20th century. The three men are legendary millionaire balladeer Cole Porter, jazz virtuoso and polymath playboy Artie Shaw – and Scottish sailor and scholar John Graham. The ship is the RMS Franconia, Clyde-built Cunard palace of the Thirties elite, nerve centre for Winston Churchill at Yalta, and venue for the composition of one of Porter’s, and Shaw’s, most enduring hits, “Begin the Beguine” – a song that likewise knits the vital strands of the half-century together. Their interweaving narratives embrace romance and heroism, loss and vengeance, high politics and grand passion, West and East, Clydebank and Christmas Island, and the whole sweep of modern history.

Praise for Begin the Beguine

“Readers approaching this book may be expecting little more than a comprehensive account of the histories of the musical icons of America’s Swing Era coupled with the story of a fabulous ship, the Cunard liner, the RMS Franconia. They will not be disappointed. But the author delivers so much more than this, incorporating into his text a range of personalities apart from the obvious, such as Cole Porter and Artie Shaw, all of whom he brings to life in fascinating detail.” – Historical Novel Society