Ship

by David Macaulay

In Ship we join a group of underwater archaeologists as they search for a long-lost caravel in the reefs of the Caribbean Sea. A combination of drawings, maps, and diagrams details the ship's recovery, and as clues to the past are pieced together, a story emerges - of the triumphant birth of the ship Magdalena from Spain, and its tragic voyage to a far-away continent.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Architecture, Childrens, Picture Books, Reference, Art

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

David Macaulay, born in 1946, was eleven when his parents moved from England to Bloomfield, New Jersey. He found himself having to adjust from an idyllic English childhood to life in a fast paced American city. During this time he began to draw seriously, and after graduating from high school he enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). After spending his fifth year at RISD in Rome on the European Honors Program, he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture and vowed never to practice. After working as an interior designer, a junior high school teacher, and a teacher at RISD, Macaulay began to experiment with creating books. He published his first book, Cathedral, in 1973. Following in this tradition, Macaulay created other books—including City, Castle, Pyramid, Mill, Underground, Unbuilding, and Mosque—that have provided the explanations of the how and the why in a way that is both accessible and entertaining. From the pyramids of Egypt to the skyscrapers of New York City, the human race’s great architectural and engineering accomplishments have been demystified through Macaulay's elaborate show-and-tells. Five of these titles have been made into popular PBS television programs.

Reviews

[Clinton Sheppard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have liked more about the archaeology but the ship building part was also interesting.

[N. Niemeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little introduction to maritime archaeology and historic shipbuilding, but it's too short! Macauley himself noted that keeping it to 96 pages was hard enough, but I would have loved more descriptions of the technical side of a caravel--how it was sailed, how shipboard armaments were used, what kinds of provisions were brought aboard. Nonetheless, as with all of Macauley's books the illustrations are superb, the imaginary people and places involved were well realized, and some learned humor slips in.

I dug out Ship again after I found it on a shelf of childhood books and have to say that, though I received it as part of the RIF program in elementary school, it's a book suited to older readers. I think at the time, I enjoyed it more for the pictures than anything else. It certainly has much to offer for both kids and adults alike, and readers familiar with archaeology and maritime history will find much to enjoy, too.

[Mansour S منصور السدحان · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming book has two parts. One about the archeological process of discovering, documenting and researching a sunken ship. The second part is about the process of building a caravel ship. All wonderfully illustrated by Macaulay. First part done in pencils, technical and illustrative. Second part done in what I presume professional markers that one can take off the cap and use the filling as a brush! Now I might be digressing here. The book is not an art portfolio but I think any Macaulay educational book is also an art book. Macaulay’s marker illustrations of the stages of building the ship is fascinating, the rendering, the interesting angles. One really get drawn into the marvelous process of building a ship, a caravel in particular. A totally wonderful book for all ages.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using a fictitious archaeological find as the base, Maccaulay describes the excavation of a spanish ship from the 15th-16th Spanish ship. I was intrigued by the detailing of the methodology both undersea, on the ship and, back on land, at the laboratory where cleaning was undertaken. One of the finds was a diary which places the ship as sailing in 1504, its maiden voyage. The diary also describes the building of the ship allowing Maccaulay's wonderful illustrative drawings of the building of the ship.

[Ceridwyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations; black and white for modern period, color for the past. Nice to see Macaulay in color. I found the description of underwater archaeology and Renaissance shipbuilding fun. Somehow, though, the innovative format of passing from modern excavation of the caravel to its inception in the past, divided my attention so much I didn't get truly involved. Both sections were quite brief, so I left the journey with slightly elevated interest.

[Krystian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as "Castle" or "Cathedral." The book is divided into two parts, archeological dive and caravel building, but neither part really delivered. It was nice to read the print version, though, having previously read his other works on Kindle.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was super bored with this portrayal, totally disappointed bc i love this authors earlier work.

[Lee]

A twofer, that's super fun.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Macaulay's books are always impressive, and this one is no exception. However, it suffers structurally in ways that none of his others that I'm familiar with do. Instead of simply tracing the design and construction of a structure, this book is split into two parts. The second part detailing the construction of a 16th century ship is excellent. The first half, dealing with the discovery of, presumably, this same ship's wreck in modern times seems choppy and forced with the inclusion of numerous documents meant to add to the narrative. Instead, they break up the story and seem to be trying to awkwardly give explanations in places where they are not necessary. I always wondered why Macaulay ended his books at the end of construction and didn't deal with what happened to the Cathedral, Pyramid, etc later on when it seemed as if there was a natural point of continuation. Now, I suppose I know.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got three David Macaulay books when I was in fourth or fifth grade -- Cathedral, Castle, and City. I embraced their illustrations and the entertaining and educational stories of human endeavor. Since I recently discovered there were additional books I hadn't read, I picked this up used from Amazon.

Ship falls into two parts, an account of the archeological discovery of a sunken caravel, and then, through the diary of one of the owners, the story of its construction. I found the second half more interesting, and would have preferred the narrative of the construction expanded to the length of the book. I loved the detail of the construction, and wanted more. But now I know what futtocks and wales are.

Macaulay's books are classified as juvenile, but I like to think of them as Richard Scarry for older children of all ages..

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the story is rather forced, I enjoyed the book. The plot, after all, is not why I read it. Both the first half dealing with maritime archaeology and the second on the wreck's construction were interesting, and of course the drawings added to what I could learn from the book. That said, I thought I might have learned more, it is an area about which I have already learned a bit.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know these are written for a younger audience but they are great! Incredible illustrations and information. Highly recommended to a younger reader or an older one starting a new area of intrest

[Mills College Library]

387.21 M1172 1993