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Seamanship in the Age of Sail: An Account of the Shiphandling of the Sailing Man-of-War 1600-1860, Based on Contemporary Sources
Numerous successful reprints of contemporary works on rigging and seamanship indicate the breadth of interest in the lost art of handling square-rigged ships. Model makers, marine painters, and enthusiasts need to know not only how the ships were rigged but how much sail was set in each condition of wind and sea, how the various maneuvers were carried out, and the intricacies of operations like reefing sails or 'catting' an anchor.
John Harland has provided what is undeniably the most thorough book on handling square-rigged ships. Because of his facility in a remarkable range of languages, Harland has been able to study virtually every manual published over the past four centuries on the subject. As a result, he is able to present for the first time a proper historical development of seamanship among the major navies of the world.
John Harland has provided what is undeniably the most thorough book on handling square-rigged ships. Because of his facility in a remarkable range of languages, Harland has been able to study virtually every manual published over the past four centuries on the subject. As a result, he is able to present for the first time a proper historical development of seamanship among the major navies of the world.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1984
About the author
John Harland
5 books5 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 27, 2013
One of the several books I particularly recommend when asked which books people should read to learn more about the Age of Fighting Sail. A definitive guide as to how the ships of the Georgian Navy were actually sailed.
July 15, 2020
This is the first time I've ever given a book five stars and only comprehended about a quarter of the content. It's told in pretty straightforward prose so it's not my usual complaint of needing more editing. It's that these are COMPLEX topics and you really have to focus and study each bit to fully understand. In my case I got what I needed out of it from a research standpoint in a "looser" read, and chose not to do that. For the person who truly wants to understand every single aspect of sailing a tall ship in the 18th or 19th centuries, though, you will absolutely get what you are looking for out of this book.
April 19, 2021
An absolute classic on ships, ship-building, and sailing in the great Age of Sail. Nothing else comes close.
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January 12, 2017There are many nifty books out these days for tall ship fans, after the popularity of Patrick O'Brian's books, but for the reader who really wants to understand what's going on in any Napoleonic sea-faring history or story, this and Longridge are must haves.
Harland breaks down everything, from the design of the tall ship to the rigging, to how they are sailed. He goes into exhaustive detail (exhaustive meaning the terms in French and Dutch are frequently added, giving mini-histories of the evolution of the part in question)
Harland breaks down everything, from the design of the tall ship to the rigging, to how they are sailed. He goes into exhaustive detail (exhaustive meaning the terms in French and Dutch are frequently added, giving mini-histories of the evolution of the part in question)
December 12, 2012
Not the sort of thing that most people will find interesting, this thorough volume goes into the actual handling of warships in the age of fighting sail. Many will find it dry, but if you want to see how a ship was worked up a river, for example, you'll be fascinated at the skill with which these ships could be handled. Definitely helpful to the Forester or O'Brien fan who wants to know more.
February 15, 2013
Great resource for ship maneuvers; definitely the thing you want to have around if you can't remember if "let go and haul" comes before or after "rise tacks and sheets." Also great for linguistic trivia. Fantastic illustrations, as well!
October 20, 2021
Five stars, because it is incredibly technical, comprehensive and detailed, but I could not finish it because, well, it is incredibly technical, comprehensive and detailed. I suppose it could be fairly said that since I don’t know enough about the topic, I have no business giving it a rating. But the author really seems to know his onions. Anyway, if you are comfortable with math and really want an education in what went into making a square rigged man of war do its thing, you should read this, or at least keep it around as a reference.
July 16, 2017
Unsurpassed authority on seamanship in the Age Of Sail. This is an indispensable tool for any serious researcher of the period before steam took over the seas. We can wade through Falconer's definitions and drift from source to source, but here it is all collated from a vast array of sources and illustrated at every bend. This is not a book for casual reading but for in-depth knowledge about the subject you won't beat it.
Mine is the 2009 revised edition hardback.
Mine is the 2009 revised edition hardback.
September 14, 2021
Diagrams in this are fantastic. Really helping me with a college project.
September 6, 2010
What a fantastic resource this is. I've been doing research on ships during this period for about two years now, and have never seen another book that gives such detail about the really fine points of seamanship. You can literally see where a crewman in a specific section of the watch would be standing and what he'd be doing at a given command. You can see what the fittings of the maintop would look like, based on a specific time period and size of ship. The book is hard to find and not cheap when you find it, but if you really want to know the nuts and bolts of sailing a square-rigger in the 18th century, this is the book for you.
July 25, 2016
Without a doubt the most comprehensive, easily understood reference on tall-ship handling I've ever encountered. It's a huge book, and not exactly inexpensive, so I was hesitant to buy it, at first. Still, it deserves all the praise and respect it gets in Age of Sail circles. This book is indispensable to anyone seeking to understand the mechanics of sailing Age of Sail tall ships.
February 5, 2012
There comes a time, when you're reading Patrick O'Brian books, or Horatio Hornblower stories, or any other thing involving the Age of Sail, that you want to know what everyone is talking about all the time. This book will tell you. Everything. And it is beautiful.
September 26, 2013
The author has done a great job of bringing together traditional texts and their illustrations on traditional ship handling and has even modernized the language so that even a lubber can get a grasp of how ships are sailed properly.
March 12, 2008
Indispensable for anyone writing sea stories. Full of interesting facts about tall ships, tall ship handling and principles of sailing. I could not do without it.
January 19, 2014
Invaluable!
April 5, 2015
not the sort of book you read straight through....fascinating as a
...one to pick through slowly
...one to pick through slowly
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews