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Description of  The Heyday of Sail: The Merchant Sailing Ship 1650-1830

0851775624 pdf Between the final divergence of warship and merchantman around about 1650 and the triumph of steam from 1830 onwards, there were no comparable revolutions in ship design. Nevertheless, the merchant sailing ship was subject to almost continuous improvement and diversification, resulting in an ever-expanding spectrum of local types and specialized variants. Taking this variety as its central theme, this study departs somewhat from the pattern of the "Conway's History of the Ship" series to concentrate on developments at regional and local levels, emphasizing the influence of trading conditions on the history of each ship type. Coverage is not confined to the European/North American tradition, but also includes the seagoing ships of the East, working craft of the inland waterways and sailing pleasure craft.