Ships have always played an important role in shaping human destiny, and this comprehensive and very readable encyclopedia covers more than one thousand of the world's best-known and most significant vessels of every size and type. Each ship is described in a vivid short essay that captures its personality as well as its physical characteristics, construction, and history, from the drawing board to the scrap yard or museum. Even fictional ships and boats, such as the African Queen, are included. Two hundred illustrations show the grandeur and grace of oceangoing vessels, maps help the reader follow the tracks of the great seafarers and naval campaigns, and time lines offer a chronological perspective on archaeological sites, naval warfare, technology, exploration, and disasters at sea. Ships of the World is not only an invaluable reference but fascinating reading for anyone who has the slightest interest in history or who simply likes messing about in boats, whether on the water or from a comfortable chair at home.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
You don't have to be a maritime history buff--or even a sailor--to find Lincoln Paine's Ships of the World fascinating. Certainly no scholar or student of the history of ships will want to be without it: it consists of more than 1,000 alphabetical entries describing individual ships' histories and fates. Yet because of the author's flair for language and the skill with which he has made his selections, the book is a browser's delight--almost a short-story collection. Look up an entry on any celebrated vessel--the Titanic, the Monitor, the Lusitania--and you'll find an admirably concise history of the boat and the events that made it famous. But browsing turns up countless unexpected pleasures, from the story of the Politician (a freighter that ran aground in the Outer Hebrides, where its cargo of Scotch was efficiently plundered by locals) to that of Jacques Cousteau's Calypso. The hundreds of well-chosen black-and-white illustrations help bring the tales alive.
From Booklist
This book is a magnificent survey of several thousand years of river, lake, and open-ocean ships, from those that floated on the prehistoric Nile, through the centuries of sailing ships, to engine-driven monsters that carried airplanes to victory, to supertankers, such as the Exxon Valdez. Entries are alphabetical by name of ship, and many include illustrations, with a few in color.
Each entry gives statistical information--length, beam, and draft, in feet and meters; tonnage; crew and/or passenger complement; and other data, including date of commission. Then follows an essay, from a quarter-page to two pages or more, giving the history of the ship, its sometimes several changes of name and usage, and its final destiny, whether sunk, scrapped, blown up, or scuttled. One or more reference works are briefly listed at the end of each entry, with fuller data on each in the bibliography at the end.
Almost every well-known ship is here. There are entries for the historically significant HMS Beagle and Mayflower, luxury liners such as Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary, warships such as the Bismark and USS Constitution, and ships best known for disastrous voyages, such as RMS Titanic as well as Alvin, the submersible that found the Titanic wreck. Not every ship that ever sailed is included, of course. Hundreds of cruisers, submarines, troopships, and the like, on both Axis and Allied sides of World War II, are not given specific entries. However, an attempt is made to include at least one ship from each group; this is usually one that was historically important for some reason, such as the USS Maddox, a Sumner-class destroyer, which was involved in the Tonkin Gulf incident in 1964.
The section devoted to full-page or half-page colored illustrations is very fine. Many of these are paintings, since color photography is too new for most historic ships. A few of the ships that are pictured, such as the Mayflower and Columbus' Nina, are replicas. At the end of the volume is a glossary of nautical terms. There is also a listing of a hundred or so fictitious ships or boats, such as the African Queen, USS Caine, and HMS Pinafore. An extensive bibliography and an excellent index complete the work, which is highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Premiere excellence for any serious researcher of ships!,
By johanklehs@home.com (California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia (Hardcover)
Ever asked the question, "What was that ship? When did it sail? Why do we know of it? If you buy this book, your questions will be answered. From the Aaron Manby to the Zuytdorp, this book has them all. Even a list of "literary ships" such as the Africa Queen and the Caine."Ships of the World" describes each ship in detail including it's dimensions, builder, hull, origin, and ultimate disposition. A "must" for any naval historian.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ships Of The World,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia (Hardcover)
This is an excellent, comprehensive and detailed compendium of the "biographies" of hundreds of the notable ships, boats and other water craft of many nations throughout history. The book is amply illustrated and it also contains very useful appendixes. It is a first-rate reference work and should be in the library of anyone who is interested in the diverse vessels that have sailed, cruised and rowed on and under the sea.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An ark of knowledge,
By J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia (Hardcover)
I've had this book on my shelf for some years and refer to it frequently.
It describes actual ships and boats and mentions literary vessels including 'The African Queen', 'Red October' and (my personal favourite) 'The Ship of Fools'. Most importantly, from an historical perspective, it provides a series of chronologies and an extensive bibliography. I am also grateful for the maps and the glossary. Recommended to those who need a single volume reference for specific ships and a starting point for more general matters maritime. Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
