Customer Reviews

Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections: Man-Of-War

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although this is a "children's" book, it's wonderful for adults who love the books of Patrick O'Brian, C. S. Forester, Frederick Marryat, and other writers of the age of sail - but who don't know a thing about ships. I've read the entire Aubrey/Maturin series twice and dabbled in other naval fiction, but this book is the first (including some pricey reference books!) to *really* help me understand shipboard life, how the decks are laid out, where things are, how the pumps worked, and so on. Other books can explain the lingo and the rigging and so on in great (often too great for me) detail, but in my opinion this book is just as important a reference - even though it's aimed at kids. It doesn't just *tell* you how things were, it lets you *see* how they were.

you should definitely try to get this book. I am a landlubber, who has just discovered the pleasures of Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin (via Austen's Persuasion). Along with a number of more serious naval non-fiction reference works, notably THE WOODEN WORLD by N.A.M. Rodger (ISBN 0393314693; ASIN 0393314693)I found a copy of this wonderful book first at my public library and then in a sale at my local store.

This is an oversized book, thin but full of detailed information. A man-of-war, one of the mainstays of the Georgian fleet during the wars of the 1700s and early 1800s, is "cut away" section by section and deck by deck to illustrate life on board as well as the structure of the ship. The first works better than the latter, although I got a very good idea of how the ship's anchor works as well as how the ship crew handled guns and gunpowder (as well as the dangers of a loose gun). I wished that the authors had provided a bird-eye view of the ship from the top of the masts, and showed sailors working the sails. Apart from this and other minor quibbles, I think I learned more from this book faster than I had expected.

Yes, this is a children's book, but it is highly recommended by sites specializing in naval fiction of the Georgian and Regency era (think Napoleonic Wars, Revolutionary Wars, as well as sites devoted to O'Brian and Forester). Children will be delighted by various grosser aspects of life abroad (the very basic toilet and bathing facilities, the surgeon in action during battle, and of course the maggot-filled biscuits), not to mention trying to find a certain stowaway. Adults will revel in little details that explain things that have puzzled them.

I started out not knowing port from starboard, and very little else. By the end of this book, while I cannot claim to be proficient, I certainly understand that a ship has three masts in several sections, that it has several decks, and that life at sea was more complicated than is sometimes depicted in fiction.

You might also want to try "The Visual Dictionary of Ships and Sailing" (ISBN 1879431203; ASIN 1879431203) which apparently discusses different types of ships, the sails and ropes, and so forth. I have not seen this book yet, but it looks interesting.

Dorling Kindersley has in the past twenty years quickly established itself as an outstanding publisher of niche books--children's reference books, travel guides, atlases, and the such. What I find so remarkable about a number of their children's books is how enormously satisfying they are for adults as well, even adults who are fairly familiar with the subject matter. One of the better series of books in their impressive list are the Cross-Sections books by Stephen Biesty. As someone who is interested both in the history of ships and the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian, I find this one even more interesting than most.

Two things stand out about this book: its remarkably detailed drawings and the enormous amount of information that gets stuffed into the book's relatively short length. This book provides a pictorial rendering of one of the great ships of the line of the Napoleonic navy, similar to H.M.S. Victory. Virtually nothing gets left out, and the book can actually serve as a surprisingly comprehensive introduction to the Royal British Navy during the time of Nelson and Napoleon. It is somewhat misleading in that the ship depicted was the exception and not the norm, the British navy possessing only a handful of ships this size. Apart from that the book has no serious flaws, except for the unaffordable one in a visual guide that it is sometimes hard to locate information in its closely packed pages.

I would also recommend another Dorling Kindersley book, also unfortunately out of print, THE VISUAL DICTIONARY OF SHIPS AND SAILING. It does a bit better job than this one of defining many nautical terms. Each represents a marvelous addition to personal library of books on the age of the sailing ship.

I purchased this book as a birthday gift for my husband (yes, I know it's a "kids book"). He collects books about naval history and ships, and I was gratified to see that this book quickly became one of his favorites (the kids love it too). It's an absolutely fascinating read; the illustrations are wonderfully detailed (and often somewhat disgusting, much to the delight of the kids). A really fun book.

I've always been fascinated with sailing man-of-war. When I first came across Stephen Biesty's book, I did not purchase it right away at the book store. Much to my regret, when I was ready to buy at a late date the book was no longer available.

When I bought this book via Amazon I was happy as a lark. I really enjoyed flipping the pages and looking at the ship and the author skillfully adding details about other aspect of life aboard sailing man-of-war. It had the right amount of information without being overly technical. Even if you don't read the text the pictures alone would keep the reader (both children and adult) enthralled. Well, if you're into history I think you well.

If you are interested in how a sailing man-of-war operates, Biesty's incredibly detailed drawings along with subtle humour in the captions will bring it alive for you. Peruse this book and you will have a better appreciation of "Master and Commander"

This book is excellent for the readers of C.S. Forrester and Alexander Kent. There are good depictions of an 18th century man-o-war. I would have given it five stars if it had included horizontal cross sections with the vertical ones. I'm glad to have the book.

I used to sit with this book in the library for hours on end. I just loved the cross sections and the "where's Waldo" type games.

I purchased this book for my son, who loves all things Medieval. He's spent hours and hours poring over the cross sectioned drawings and telling me about all he's learned. The book's text and color drawings are very well done, and my son has enjoying looking through it more than once.

I enjoyed the cross section pictures and thought that the text was interesting. There is lots of fine detail, I see something different everytime I flip through it. Be sure to watch the movie "Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World". The movie director did an excellent job portraying life aboard the Man-of-War. In my opinion, the movie is the book put in motion. The movie and book captures what life could have been like aboard the Man-of-War.