Customer Reviews

The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

HMS Victory (104 guns), now preserved in dry-dock at Portsmouth in England embodies the might of the man-of-war at the zenith of the age of sail. The vessel was Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship at the battle of Trafalgar. Mr C Nepean Longridge's masterpiece of a book describes the process by which his model of this famous vessel was built. The book is unique; Longridge follows full-scale practice virtually to the smallest detail. This makes his work essential to the accomplished ship-modeller and the novice alike. For the former, there are the detailed references to complete the ultimate ship model project - clearly explained and amply illustrated. As for the latter, here is a book that will inspire and which will be a fountain of suggestions for improving building techniques applicable to all vessels of the era. For example, there are more than 183 figure drawings from variations of 'scarph' joints to methods of belaying lines. Additionally there are 12 plans and 76 photographs. This is the bible, with illustrations, for building all classes of naval ship give or take a gun-port or two

Despite its title, which may mislead some, this classic book actually deals at length with building a model of H.M.S. Victory. Written by Nepean Longridge in the 1930's - it's value can be judged by the fact that it remains as valid today as it did then.

The book describes in detail the full process of building the model which now resides in the Science Museum in London.

Construction details of the model are given and discussed at length, as well details of the full size vessel. This is backed up by photos of the real vessel, and numerous detailed drawings and diagrams, some of which are in a "pull out" format. Every detail of the ship is covered, from fittings through to construction - both of the model and the real thing.

All this means that if your going a build a model of H.M.S. Victory, then you MUST ensure that you have a copy of this book on your bookshelf. You will need no other!

And, even if you are not building the Victory, still consider purchasing this book. For the ship modeller it is of considerable interest and will serve as a valuable reference for years to come, while for those interested in Period Ships the plans and detail drawings will be a delight.

This is the one, right here, don't go any further. Even if you're not a modeler, get this book. If you are a modeler, you better have this book. Whatever your story, get this book.

I am fortunate to have the ship modeling bug, and love the challenge of the wooden ship model. It's my hope to build a HMS Victory. Now that I have this book in hand, have no fear, I will enter the Modeling Zone once again.

What a fabulous book. Like one of the other reviewers discussed, I get lost in this book and come up for air 3 hours later. The author discusses everything there is to discuss on the ship. There are great pictures, and the fold out plans, WOW. This is the way to reveal the inner workings of a ship. There are a large number of drawings as well as a few groups of photos to suppliment the text. Don't misunderstand, the text stands by itself, and the drawings/photos are a bonus.

One thing that amazes me to great wonder is how did the author acquire all the knowledge that he then relates in the book? It seems that he must have built the ship himself!!

A remarkable accomplishment this book. If you like sailing, ships, woodworking, history, or other related areas of study, you'll enjoy this book. The early 19th Century sailing vessel never received such a grand treatment. Now, where's Admiral Nelson??

WOW! That was the first thing I said after opening Amazon's box containing this book. The book is a substantial size, nice and thick and the binding quality is excellent. What a masterpiece. The numerous amounts of fold-outs are excellent, full of great info on the Victory. There are a number of glossy pages with lots of pictures of the original and the model HMS Victory. The figure list is very usefull as are all the other lists to make finding your way around very quick and easy. The other reviewers have accurately depicted the content; I felt that the rest needed recognition. If you are at all like me and don't mind spending the money you will understand this next statement. Buy two, one to keep safe in your bookshelf and one to wear out during its extensive use. BUY IT you will for sure enjoy all 283 pages. Michael

If you are passionate about modeling ships, or merely an afficianado of ships of a bygone era, this is the grandaddy of reference books.

First published in 1950, and written before the modern kits and tools available today, it surely slakes the thirst for knowledge that those of us that love the tall ships.

Yes, it mainly visits the HMS Victory, but its' detail were the primary reference for McKay's 'Anatomy of the ship - the 100 gun ship Victory', owning first editions of both now, one could never give them away.

If you are like me, you will spend countless hours lost in this book.

It starts with the basics of how a ship is built from the keel up, with many photos and diagrams of how to lay a keel, frames, planking and decking, not so much a modelers reference, but an explanation why. It goes upward to the best detail I have ever seen of masts and yards, enlarged enough to see how to scratch build them.

It has numerous photos, drawings, and pull out diagrams of every aspect of the Victory, but it is standard reference for the tall ship.

I would not say if this is the only book you ever buy on ships, buy this, it is not that type of coffee table book. It is one for those who appreciate the knowledge and the craft, and to proudly put amongst your collection, and never give away.

This book is a must for anyone building or contemplating on building not only the Victory but also other ships of the same period and construction. The descriptive tips on building jigs and construction methods for the model are priceless. The foldout dwgs and pictures of the original boat have saved me many hours of "guess work" had I followed the instructions which were included in the kit. The model I built can be considered 50% scratch built based on ideas obtained from Longridges book. This book is a must for any serious model builder whether it be for the Victory on others.

I recieved this today.. it's a must for the modeler and a wonderful read even if your not. It's a bit pricey, but worth it so far. If you can find it used then make sure all of the fold out plans are intact as I feel they are a major part of what make the book so facinating.

Details abound in this marvellous book by an author steeped in his subject. I felt as if he had been on the ways at the time of building and relating his opbservations, but from the viewpoint of an educating master of this complex subject. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and can use the details provided to better my own modeling skills. If you enjoy detail and want to read about it from the pen of a master of his subject, buy this book today!

This is a great book, but it's meant mainly and despite the title, for the modeler of the great flagship of Lord Nelson. There are very few details relating to any of the other ships of Nelson, but the Victory is covered like no other book...

Longridge really did his homework. This book is the best of three books I collected to use as guides in building a model of HMS Victory. Full of well-researched information and countless detailed illustrations, this book will serve as an invaluable guide in achieving virtually any level of detail in modeling this noteworthy ship. Combined with other books and participation in an on-line forum dedicated to modeling HMS Victory, I am fully confident that I will have the information at hand to build a very satisfying model from Heller's 1/100th scale kit.