Customer Reviews

To Harness the Wind: A Short History of the Development of Sails

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This book is an interesting read. I recommend it not only to avid sailors but also to people who have sailed on a boat once or twice and want to know how a sailboat basically works

The author has provided an excellent history on the development of the sail, starting with boats in the days of the Egyptian's, leading up to today's racing boats. He presents it in an easy-to-read format which allowed me a better understanding on how sails work and how they have evolved.

I also enjoyed the historical anecdotes the author included in the book; it juiced up the readability.

The author of this book deserves alot of credit for putting this together. There are alot of sources (in reference books, magazine articles, libraries, etc.) that have one piece of this history or another. But know one has has taken the time to put the whole 8,000 year history in one book.

Leo Block's "To Harness the Wind: A Short History of the Development of Sails" is a short, easy-to-read history of the development of sails through history.

Block begins with the ancient Egyptians and describes the earliest sails and rigs and ends with 20th century sailing rigs. Throughout the book, Block also describes basic sailing theory, why and how sails work, and many other concepts that all people who spend time on the water should understand about sailing.

One of the best features in the book is the plethora of drawings and diagrams that Block uses to illustrate the sails and concepts. Between the drawings, the straightforward explanations, and the short length, I recommend this book to anyone interested in sailing or in maritime history.

I want to design a sail for my canoe and this book was part of my research. The author explains, through history, how each type of sail works, what it does and doesn't do well, how the sailors solved problems, and how they evolved the art. Through this book I now understand what kinds of sails I can use and what to expect of them. I also feel confident that I could build a make-shift sail if ever the need arises.

As a bonus the author describes not just the nautical terms but also their origins and evolution, such as "steerboard" and "crow's nest." The writing is clear and concise with a lot of information in the limited number of pages available. All-in-all, it is a very easy, informative, and enjoyable read.

Leo Block, a retired US Naval Reserve captain, has brought together a marvelous collection of sailing history, design, and theory.

Captain Block starts with the Egyptians and a description of a sailing vessel on a vase from 6000B.C. It was fascinating to read about how the first sailboats on the Nile probably sailed downwind only. Since the predominant winds on the Nile were upstream, the early sailors could sail upriver, drop the sails, and then paddle back with the current.

He then goes on to the Minoans and Phoenicians and then to the lateen sail, giving due credit to Indonesians and the Arabs. Then he jumps to the contributions of the Vikings. Step by step, he leads the reader through square-rigged vessels to fore-and-aft rigged modern boats. You might guess that this would be dry and technical, but the author ties in sailing with historical notes that provide an interesting review of world history. It was a delight to ponder innovations from and connections between Polynesians, Chinese, Romans, Greeks, Norse, British, and Americans.

By the time you have finished the book, you find that Captain Block has also managed to provide a review of important points in modern sailing theory along with the historical understanding of the origins of various equipment and customs. Even if you weren't terribly interested in sailboats, a love of history would drive the reader to understand the tremendous impact of ocean travel on culture and commerce. There is also a reasonable glossary and index, useful for later review. It was an ambitious project to write this book, and Captain Block did it well.