Customer Reviews

Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia

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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.

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.

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

At first glance, the prospective buyer might easily dismiss this work as just another book about ships of the world. After all, the rather innocuous front cover shows part of an historic painting of a naval engagement from 1794 above which are nothing more than the book's title and author's name. Behind that, however, lies an altogether excellent product.

As with all reference works which cross my desk, I began by browsing through the book, pausing whenever I saw one of the many historic black and white pictures until I found the colour section in the middle. Whilst I was pleased to see Turner's famous painting "The Fighting Téméraire" had been included, I was absolutely stunned to see the amount of detail on the stern of the Wasa which had survived over 300 years underwater. This was the Swedish warship which, after sinking on her maiden voyage in 1628, had been preserved in deep mud until raised in 1960. It was not until I saw this picture that I was aware of the incredible extent of that preservation.

In a world of publishing where the word `encyclopaedia' is used far to frequently to describe works which are no such thing, this book is exactly as described by its title. With many, many vessels listed in strict alphabetical order, this is a first-class reference source for anyone with even a passing interest in ships. There is no bias towards any specific country as the reader moves between the ships - sometimes famous, sometimes important protatypes, sometimes just different, of different nations.

Of course, no work can include every vessel which ever went to sea but, with something in excess of 7,000 significant ships and submarines included here, this product gets very close. Altogether, the more we who study ships learn, the more there is to learn and it is books like this which provide the real teaching.

Whilst I am surprised at not having come across this work before today, may I suggest you grab a copy while you can because there will come a time when you are glad you did.

NM

At first glance, this is a brilliant resource. At second glance, a few holes appear. There are some historical ships missing: USS Forrestal, CV59, commissioned in the mid-1950s as the first super-carrier built specifically for jets. USS Enterprise, CVN65, the world's first nuclear carrier and, along with the Long Beach and Truxton, the first surface ship to circle the globe without refueling. On the other hand, many vessels of marginal historical import get ink. In an error of fact, USS Wahoo, a WW2 sub, was sunk by its own torpedo, not by a Japanese patrol plane, as Paine reports. All of this makes the reader what else is missing or just plain wrong. Still in all, a very good book, and very well written.

This book is a must-have item for the bookshelf of anyone interested in ships. Every ship of consequence has been listed and described, and often pictured as well.

This is the best addition to my collection of nautical/maritime books since my purchase of the Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. I've already spent many hours reading the different ship histories and learning more about ships I've read about since I was a young boy. From Nelson's Victory to Luckner's Seeadler and Dewey's Olympia, Paine's books has them all. Concise, well-written histories that dwell on the human as well as the technical, make this a must-have for any naval or maritime history buff's shelf. Just a few quibbles. The Essex class carrier U.S.S. Franklin was probaby named after the Benjamin Franklin and not the Battle of Franklin. Every other Essex class is name after something from the Revolutionary War, so I would assume that the Franklin is too. Also, I wished Paine had included the U.S.S. Pensylvania, the 120-gun wooden warship built for the Navy that was burned at Norfolk during the Civil War. I also was surprised to see H.M.S Kelly left out. But these are minor quibbles with a splendid book that has earned a place of honor in my collection

Please pull my review dated Feb 7, 1999, from SHoffman@jg.net. There were numerous errors in the review. Thank you. Sam Hoffman.

Please buy this book. Lincoln is my brother-in-law and he's an all around good guy. If you want to know anything about ships, ask Lincoln.

This book that goes from Titanic to Noah's Ark is a wonderful reference book for all reader's. It is well written and has fabulous pictures. Two thumbs up for Lincoln Paine!