Product Description

Essential reading and reference for ship model-makers and students and enthusiasts of historic sailing ships and their rigging. Describes and depicts in detail how 17th-century English, French, Dutch and other European trading ships and warships were rigged, from the lower masts and bowsprit to the running rigging of the topsails and topgallants. Over 350 fine line drawings illustrate every rigging detail. 25 halftones, generously annotated, illustrate typical ships. Extensive bibliography.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120059 in Books
• Published on: 1994-03-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780486279602
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Are you interested in all aspects of Square Rigged Ships?
This book is actually written by and for model ship builders. I gave it a 5 star rating because of the difficulty finding information of this nature. It is somewhat dry reading, but the diagrams are for the most part clear. Some of the whole ship detailed drawings, lost something in the reduction and are difficult to read. Much of the information here came from the authors detailed study of the St George model as well as impossible to find rare book references from the late 1600's.

I love every aspect of sailing and I'm particularly interested in learning whatever I can about how ship- rigged boats were actually rigged. This book provides some great information on the terminology of the complicated rigging of these vessels, as well as some of the construction details of the spars. In it you will find information on spars, proportions of the same, standing rigging, and running rigging, and the spirtsail topmast (which went out of use after 1720). If you are interested in learning everything you can about square-rigged ships, this is one of the few references still in print. Buy one while you still can. I am very happy with the book. Because of the rarity of the information presented here it will not be the sort of book I would loan out.

Hard-To-Find Information Now At The Tip of Your Fingers
In another review, I said that one needed 3 books as a foundation for the hobby of model ship building. Oops, I was wrong. This is number 4!

Since I'm building a model of the Mayflower (1620), this is the book that has all the answers for all the questions I have. From mast tapering, angles, and length, to rigging hints and methods. This is the square riggers handbook. There is a ton of information, yes covering 1600-1625 period ships. Although there is more for the later part of the title, not to fear, the early part of the title is very well covered.

Despite the hard to read (and messy) illustrations, and weak reductions of original materials, the content of the book requires it get a 5-star rating. Even the dated language doesn't matter. Move past that, and the knowledge is abundant.

If you're not a modeler, and a fan of square rigged sailing vessels, then this is the book to learn how they operated. Very thorough in it's coverage of all the aspects of the vessel's rigging. You can almost feel the ropes in your hands.

So I'm sorry to say, you'll need this book too in your collection... Don't delay.....

For the detailing buff
Maybe more for the ship model builder than for the naval historian, unless you are planning to build a replica of a sailing vessel of the covered age as an experimental archeologist / historian.
Anderson is rather thorough and the illustrations are very helpful as well. A list of related literature would have been welcome.