Conway's History of the Ship : THE EARLIEST SHIPS - The Evolution of Boats into Ships by Gardiner, Richard, editor

Annapolis, 1996, USNI press, First US edition w/dj, VG/VG condition 10x12, 143 pages, prof illustrated. ........................................................ Reaching back into prehistory and the earliest evidence provided by archaeology, this volume explores the varied lines of development from the most primitive watercraft to the first real sea-going ships. The floats, rafts and dugouts of the pre-Bronze age period are followed by early planked boats and the increasingly sophisticated constructions of Celtic and Norse cultures. In the Mediterranean the evolution of the sailing ship becomes separated from that of the oared vessel, and non-European developments in the Near and Far East are also covered, based largely on recent archaeological investigation.Apart from chapters on the craft themselves there are sections on related topics, including early pilotage and seamanship, and an evaluation of what modern reconstructions can tell us about the performance of ancient ship types............................................................................... It is probably no exaggeration to say that our knowledge of the beginnings of water transport has increased more in the last two decades than in the previous two centuries. The Earliest Ships not only summarises existing information but has been produced by many of those whose pioneering work was responsible for the revolution in understanding in the first place.This volume includes: Introduction The Beginnings of Boatbuilding , Bronze Age Northwest Europe, Sailing Ships of the Ancient Mediterranean , Celtic Plank Boats and Ships, Proto-Viking, Viking and Norse Craft, Arabia to China-the Oriental Traditions, Problems of Reconstruction and the Estimation of Performance, Early Shiphandling and Navigation