The Book of Old Ships: From Egyptian Galleys to Clipper Ships

by Henry B. Culver, Grodon Grant (Illustrator)

Of all the ships human beings have constructed to navigate the waters of the world — from a hollowed-out log sharpened at both ends to modern ocean liners weighing thousands of tons — those powered by the wind are among the most interesting and beautiful.
In this classic review, noted maritime artist Gordon Grant has created 80 magnificent line illustrations of some of history's most important sailing ships, beginning with a graceful Egyptian galley (c. 1600 B.C.) and ending with a splendid five-masted clipper ship of 1921. Also depicted are a Roman trireme, a Viking longship, a sixteenth-century caravel, an East Indiaman of 1750, an early nineteenth-century brigantine, a New Bedford whaling bark, and dozens of lesser-known vessels, among them the galleass, carrack, buss, and flute.
Henry B. Culver, well-known authority on naval history, has provided a detailed, meticulously researched text for each vessel, describing the materials and details of construction, how the ship's design matched its function, the period in which the vessel flourished, romance and lore surrounding the craft, and more. Naval historians and model shipbuilders will value this work as an excellent sourcebook and reference with much information on the evolution of sailing vessels, the origins of shipping, customs of the sea and other pertinent matters; sailing enthusiasts will find it a wonderful browsing book, offering an informative, handsomely illustrated look back at 3,000 years of sailing history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 1992

Reviews

[Mike Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm teaching a course in oceanic history. This book is useful primarily for the line drawings of various ship types, which give at least a rough idea of maritime technology as it evolved through the centuries. The text is pretty spare; for my purposes, it would have been better to say more about the ships' capabilities, such as speed, crew size, cargo capacity and the like.

[James Tomasino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finished as much as one can be with a reference book. This has it all!

[Calvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice little book this is. It goes over many types of ships, their design. And some cool historical facts about them. It may be a bit simple but it has a lot of charm to it. Such as how every design used here isn't ripped from somewhere else, but handrawn. Very nice to look at. I would say its more for seeing the evolution of ships and how they were used for each separate one. I want to say more about this but it is quite simple. It has a lot of charm to it though and that's what drives me in. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in ships, looking at well done hand done drawings, and learning about the history of things throughout time.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely for someone who knows sailing/ship terminology and wants to learn more about the evolution of ships. I did like the historical details and the sketches of the ships.