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Fifty Things That Changed the Course of History
Fifty Ships That Changed the Course of History: A Nautical History of the World
From an ancient funeral ship to the Rainbow Warrior -- war, trade, science and pleasure on the open seas. Fifty Ships That Changed the Course of History is a beautiful guide to fifty water vessels that played a key role in world history and had a great impact on human civilization. The book presents the ships chronologically, beginning with Pharaoh Khufu's Solar Barge from about 2566 BCE. The chapter includes a photograph of the reconstructed ship, discovered in 1954 near the Great Pyramid. Religious beliefs held that in the afterlife the pharaoh would need a ship to sail the cosmic waters of the sky with the sun god, Ra. The book closes with another sun-seeking ship four thousand years later. The epitome of an ocean cruise ship, the MS Allure of the Seas is the biggest passenger ship ever built. An Oasis-class cruise ship, it is a destination in itself, complete with a Central Park-like oasis, 18 decks, 5,492 passengers, and a crew of 2,384. Between these landmark vessels is a variety of ships used for all of mankind's needs, from hunters searching for food, traders with goods to barter and warriors bent on conquest, to explorers longing to see what lay beyond the horizon. Over time, the first small primitive watercraft evolved into bigger seagoing vessels, shaping our history, culture, and civilization along the way. Some of the fifty ships The concise text is highlighted by elegant reproductions, photographs, and sidebars, paintings, ship plans, quotes and photographs. This attractive reference provides an innovative perspective on maritime and world history. It is an excellent selection for all collections.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published September 15, 2016
6 people are currently reading
605 people want to read
About the author
Ian Graham
590 books42 followersAfter working as an in-house journalist and editor in consumer electronics magazines, Ian Graham became a freelance writer. He has written more than 230 illustrated non-fiction books for children and teens, and contributed chapters to books including Dorling Kindersley’s Know it All and Big Ideas that Changed the World. He has a degree in applied physics and a postgraduate diploma in journalism.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 31, 2017
An elegant and compelling little book documenting important historical events by way of 50 ships (and boats) and how they impacted the world.
The book itself is beautiful. High quality paper with many illustrations and photos. It even has a red silk bookmark ribbon attached!
While there are many warships included, they do not dominate the premise. The very first chapter for example, (each chapter describes a separate vessel) covers Pharaoh Khufu's 'Solar Barge' that had been buried alongside the Great Pyramid. The fact that it is over 4,500 years old and is pretty much intact is very cool. For every well known ship like the Santa Maria or the Mayflower there are chapters on the slave ship Amistad or the HMS Challenger (which discovered the deepest spot in all of the oceans way back in 1873 while criss crossing earth and taking soundings every 200 miles). Lots of interesting tidbits like the origin of the term 'first rate' or a photo of the iceberg that sank the Titanic.
My only disappointment was that Graham did not include anything on the S.S. Eastland disaster where over 800 lives were lost. Still, I understand that many, many important events had to be left out and this is picking nits. Graham did an excellent job selecting vessels representing important innovations or unfortunate notoriety such as the tanker S.S. Torrey Canyon or container ship, S.S. Ideal X.
As a Midwesterner, folks along the coasts may be more familiar with many of these ships, but I think there are enough obscure, yet interesting facts here that they will not be disappointed.
The book itself is beautiful. High quality paper with many illustrations and photos. It even has a red silk bookmark ribbon attached!
While there are many warships included, they do not dominate the premise. The very first chapter for example, (each chapter describes a separate vessel) covers Pharaoh Khufu's 'Solar Barge' that had been buried alongside the Great Pyramid. The fact that it is over 4,500 years old and is pretty much intact is very cool. For every well known ship like the Santa Maria or the Mayflower there are chapters on the slave ship Amistad or the HMS Challenger (which discovered the deepest spot in all of the oceans way back in 1873 while criss crossing earth and taking soundings every 200 miles). Lots of interesting tidbits like the origin of the term 'first rate' or a photo of the iceberg that sank the Titanic.
My only disappointment was that Graham did not include anything on the S.S. Eastland disaster where over 800 lives were lost. Still, I understand that many, many important events had to be left out and this is picking nits. Graham did an excellent job selecting vessels representing important innovations or unfortunate notoriety such as the tanker S.S. Torrey Canyon or container ship, S.S. Ideal X.
As a Midwesterner, folks along the coasts may be more familiar with many of these ships, but I think there are enough obscure, yet interesting facts here that they will not be disappointed.
December 28, 2016
Very interesting book. Definitely recommend to anyone; not a hard read and an interesting view of history (through our ships).
January 19, 2018
Such a fun read! I learned so much reading this book and it fired my imagination. I want to know more and so am going to keep exploring.
June 9, 2024
A book for kids of most ages, while it has lots of pictures, it has a fair amount of text as well. This old kid enjoyed it as well, a light, interesting read.
December 9, 2019
I wanted to find out a little more about the Cutty Sark and was rewarded with reading about a boatload of other boats...small joke...2 or 3 pages at a time. Quick read with illustrations could make you a Jeapordy contestant like James Holzhauer.
August 12, 2017
More sensationalism than history. As a naval architect, 500ft 30,000ton wooden Chinese ships NEVER sailed the ocean! A lot of Ballard worship. A quick browse with some interesting pictures.
September 27, 2019
Definitely "does what it says on the tin." Each vessel is given quite a thorough treatment, in terms of photos, text, and explanation as to why it should be included in the list. There is a bit of a European focus, but then again, they were the dominant maritime powers for a good chunk of history.
There were some typography errors (e.g., blank spaces in the text which had been printed incorrectly), but overall nothing major.
My one gripe is I cannot understand why 3 separate battleships made the list: the German 'Bismarck,' the Japanese 'Yamato,' and the American 'Missouri.' I found it confusing as to why all three were included, when each one signaled the end of the battleship era, lol.
It's hard to make a call between the three as to which were the most significant: the fact that Bismarck was sunk by airplanes used in the previous war, in my view, is the clearest demonstration that battleships were no match for air power. As that fact proves the point, the inclusion of the other two is redundant, as they add nothing in terms of why battleships stopped being produced.
The fact that Yamato was the biggest-ever and still sunk is marginally significant (could have been a footnote). The USS Missouri had the longest career of the 3, and it was the place where Japan formally signed its surrender to end WWII, but the fact that that occurred on the vessel doesn't make the *vessel* significant in any nautical sense of the term.
I would say the Bismarck deserved to be the representative of the battleships in the same way that the Torrey Canyon was the representative for oil/supertanker spills.
The two slots which the Yamato and Missouri would leave open could have been used for other vessels. I'm not as well-versed on pre-modern ships, so my focus is on recent, significant vessels.
One could be the Knock Nevis: the largest-ever supertanker and largest vessel ever built. Including it could also be used to shed light on the economics of crude oil, the global economy, and the downfall of the VLCC since that 70's-era peak. For example, the fact that the Knock Nevis eventually became floating storage instead of continuing the ply its trade, and (as a footnote) the example of the huge ore carriers which were built by Vale to ship iron ore to China.
Also in terms of significance, one modern threat that is interesting is the use of skiffs and motherships by Somali pirates. The book mentions piracy as a footnote to the cruise ship at the end, but it would be an interesting thing to include, as the Somalis' tactics are representative of two trends. Firstly, the long era of piracy is nowhere near its end. Secondly, the fact that smaller, faster craft can often be used to attack larger targets harkens the next evolution of military strategy on the high seas - specifically the concept of 'swarming' larger enemy vessels with smaller, disposable craft. This is something that the Chinese are currently working on as an explicit naval stratagem.
On a brighter note, a single vessel which is truly significant to the future of shipbuilding is the Planet Solar, which completed the first circumnavigation of the earth in 2012 using only solar power. That fact alone is at least as significant a development as the Kon-Tiki was for proving how older technology could still move people across the oceans. While solar power is likely never going to achieve the levels of propulsion required for moving cargo en masse, there are plenty of 'water taxis' and similar craft using solar-panel technology already.
Anyway, despite those minor drawbacks, the book is most certainly a fascinating read for anyone interested in ships!
There were some typography errors (e.g., blank spaces in the text which had been printed incorrectly), but overall nothing major.
My one gripe is I cannot understand why 3 separate battleships made the list: the German 'Bismarck,' the Japanese 'Yamato,' and the American 'Missouri.' I found it confusing as to why all three were included, when each one signaled the end of the battleship era, lol.
It's hard to make a call between the three as to which were the most significant: the fact that Bismarck was sunk by airplanes used in the previous war, in my view, is the clearest demonstration that battleships were no match for air power. As that fact proves the point, the inclusion of the other two is redundant, as they add nothing in terms of why battleships stopped being produced.
The fact that Yamato was the biggest-ever and still sunk is marginally significant (could have been a footnote). The USS Missouri had the longest career of the 3, and it was the place where Japan formally signed its surrender to end WWII, but the fact that that occurred on the vessel doesn't make the *vessel* significant in any nautical sense of the term.
I would say the Bismarck deserved to be the representative of the battleships in the same way that the Torrey Canyon was the representative for oil/supertanker spills.
The two slots which the Yamato and Missouri would leave open could have been used for other vessels. I'm not as well-versed on pre-modern ships, so my focus is on recent, significant vessels.
One could be the Knock Nevis: the largest-ever supertanker and largest vessel ever built. Including it could also be used to shed light on the economics of crude oil, the global economy, and the downfall of the VLCC since that 70's-era peak. For example, the fact that the Knock Nevis eventually became floating storage instead of continuing the ply its trade, and (as a footnote) the example of the huge ore carriers which were built by Vale to ship iron ore to China.
Also in terms of significance, one modern threat that is interesting is the use of skiffs and motherships by Somali pirates. The book mentions piracy as a footnote to the cruise ship at the end, but it would be an interesting thing to include, as the Somalis' tactics are representative of two trends. Firstly, the long era of piracy is nowhere near its end. Secondly, the fact that smaller, faster craft can often be used to attack larger targets harkens the next evolution of military strategy on the high seas - specifically the concept of 'swarming' larger enemy vessels with smaller, disposable craft. This is something that the Chinese are currently working on as an explicit naval stratagem.
On a brighter note, a single vessel which is truly significant to the future of shipbuilding is the Planet Solar, which completed the first circumnavigation of the earth in 2012 using only solar power. That fact alone is at least as significant a development as the Kon-Tiki was for proving how older technology could still move people across the oceans. While solar power is likely never going to achieve the levels of propulsion required for moving cargo en masse, there are plenty of 'water taxis' and similar craft using solar-panel technology already.
Anyway, despite those minor drawbacks, the book is most certainly a fascinating read for anyone interested in ships!
July 3, 2020
2020 Reading Challenge Book Review
Topic: A book that includes more than just text. A map, a family tree, illustration, letters, etc.
Book: Fifty Ships that Changed the Course of History by Ian Graham
Review: This is the best "starting point for maritime history" book I've read yet. Last year I read "The Sea and Civilization", which is much more comprehensive, and yet a lot less personal. This book focuses squarely on the 50 most important ships in human history (aptly named), and defines them in that specific context.
The thing I liked the most about that is, by defining their "importance" to world history Graham also defines their "importance" to the human story. The captains, the inventors, and the sailors on them, are just as integral characters as the ships themselves. Graham is at his best when he is clearly defining why you, as a human living on this planet, should care about these ships.
My only complaint is that it is definitely a "survey" book. You're getting about as much information from these pages as you would if you went on wikipedia and looked for each of the 50 ships. This book has just curated which ones you should read. It redeems itself slightly by having further readings and jump off points at the end of the book, but it feels more like armchair history than real academia. And maybe it's supposed to be. I'd strongly recommend this for anyone with an interest in ships, but doesn't quite know where to start their curiosity.
Final review: 7.5/10. It's a good port to start at, but you'll need more to sail the seas.
Topic: A book that includes more than just text. A map, a family tree, illustration, letters, etc.
Book: Fifty Ships that Changed the Course of History by Ian Graham
Review: This is the best "starting point for maritime history" book I've read yet. Last year I read "The Sea and Civilization", which is much more comprehensive, and yet a lot less personal. This book focuses squarely on the 50 most important ships in human history (aptly named), and defines them in that specific context.
The thing I liked the most about that is, by defining their "importance" to world history Graham also defines their "importance" to the human story. The captains, the inventors, and the sailors on them, are just as integral characters as the ships themselves. Graham is at his best when he is clearly defining why you, as a human living on this planet, should care about these ships.
My only complaint is that it is definitely a "survey" book. You're getting about as much information from these pages as you would if you went on wikipedia and looked for each of the 50 ships. This book has just curated which ones you should read. It redeems itself slightly by having further readings and jump off points at the end of the book, but it feels more like armchair history than real academia. And maybe it's supposed to be. I'd strongly recommend this for anyone with an interest in ships, but doesn't quite know where to start their curiosity.
Final review: 7.5/10. It's a good port to start at, but you'll need more to sail the seas.
November 1, 2020
Really enjoyed this cram course in nautical history. A lot of the horse-power mechanical side of the ship specifications I didn't understand but that's OK. What I did understand was the unexpected role all things militaristic took in the invention and development of ship-building and design. The incredible expense and relatively short life-span of ships compared to the expense was also striking. I enjoyed reading about ships like the Amistad because I had never heard about them...they made a movie about that ship right? I remember being on the Australian foreshore when one of Thor Heyerdahls La Balsa rafts made landfall in the early 1970's...so maybe the exploration and voyaging side of nautical history I was wanting to read more about than military history. Still, the sheer role warfare played in the development of ship-building and design was both gut-wrenching and extraordinary. Each chapter could have been 3 times as long because each ship would have had many interesting human stories attached...that is what I really enjoy...reading about the life of the vessel and the people on it. Overall, I learnt a lot from this book.
April 13, 2024
The naval history in this book is fascinating - it's very interesting to follow the development of ships through hundreds of years, from the long domination of tall sailing ships, to the addition of steam, all the way to giant container and cruise ships of today. It's a well designed book and almost every page had something that made me go "huh!" and then look up more about it.
That said, the author has an incredibly old-fashioned (and British-centered) view of history. It's very "great man theory"; even if the author doesn't agree, it's very weird to discuss people like Christopher Columbus or James Cook without any acknowledgement of the contemporary criticisms. There's no space in this telling for indigenous perspectives (or really most non-British cultures). The book is a great concept, but it's greatly diminished by this narrow view of history, which is a shame.
That said, the author has an incredibly old-fashioned (and British-centered) view of history. It's very "great man theory"; even if the author doesn't agree, it's very weird to discuss people like Christopher Columbus or James Cook without any acknowledgement of the contemporary criticisms. There's no space in this telling for indigenous perspectives (or really most non-British cultures). The book is a great concept, but it's greatly diminished by this narrow view of history, which is a shame.
October 8, 2025
This is an interesting look at world history through ships from ancient times till now. Even if you don't know much about ships, it's easy enough to understand and the author writes in an engaging way. You'll learn tidbits of history in general as well.
There is more emphasis on the last 120 years and it's Western-heavy. However, overall it's a good read and I enjoyed picking it up every now and then and reading a few pages about the next ship.
I'd like to see this updated to 2025 (it goes till about 2016).
There is more emphasis on the last 120 years and it's Western-heavy. However, overall it's a good read and I enjoyed picking it up every now and then and reading a few pages about the next ship.
I'd like to see this updated to 2025 (it goes till about 2016).
December 26, 2021
An excellent concise summary of fifty ships that have influenced world history. While it appears to have been written for the YA reader, it would nevertheless whet the appetite for further in depth study for anyone. I must add that the high quality of the book construction materials added to my reading enjoyment.
July 29, 2024
This was a nice, enjoyable read. I was hoping for a book that would give me an overview of the different parts of a ship, how ships operate, and how they’re constructed. I did get glimpses of this, but in general the book presents the major changes ships underwent by focusing on fifty exemplary ships. It was well-written and laid out well, and I felt the overview I got was great. Glad I read it.
January 5, 2025
I found this book quite interesting, although am left wondering why there was only one vessel built after the 1960s, when so many from the 60s made it into the book. I was also wondering why Allure of the Seas when Icon is bigger, but then I realised the book was published in 2015 and not new like I thought. Must be a re-print.
April 28, 2020
The first submersible, Magellan's ship, the first steam ship. Wonderful factual content. Nice pictures and one to dip into. Just to make you aware that there are more famous ships in history than 'Titanic' which is in the book too.
May 17, 2018
Kinda Anglocentric.
June 15, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lots of interesting facts and a well-made book by The History Press.
July 5, 2023
Fun interesting light read
July 23, 2024
It was fine as these things go, but not more than that. Still, I learned a few interesting facts, and now I’m going to pass the book on to my dad.
September 10, 2016
Great format for picking out some highlights of nautical history. Includes my favourite ship the Fram, so I approve of the choices.
January 7, 2017
I wasn't that into this book at the start, because I felt like it wasn't really teaching me anything new; I know quite a lot about ancient history and I think the ancient history examples in this book actually were quite weak.
Once it got to the Age of Sail, the quality improved markedly and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book.
Once it got to the Age of Sail, the quality improved markedly and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book.
abandoned-unfinished
April 27, 2019What I read of this before I had to return it to the library is fascinating -- lots of specific detail. However, I really don't know enough about boats/ships to have retained very much, because there was too much detail on things that I glossed over. It also seemed biased in which aspects of history were mentioned, but that might be my lack of understanding of naval history coming out.
No rating, because I don't remember enough of it to actually say whether it is any good.
No rating, because I don't remember enough of it to actually say whether it is any good.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews