Classic Sailing Ships Kenneth Giggal hard cover with jacket

Classic Sailing Ships Kenneth Giggal

**Coffeetable sized book**

A major book of forty of the worlds most famous sailing ships, with original paintings by the celebrated Dutch artist Cornelis de Vries.
De Vriess ship portraits are exquisite in their detail as he has a vast knowledge of sailing ships and works, wherever possible, from archive collections of original shipbuilders designs. As a result, these specially commissioned paintings give a clear idea of what the ships looked like in their day.

Most of the ships included were built in the 400 year period between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. During these times ships and the sea played a vitally important part in the lives of nations and men. The fascinating text of this book covers all the well-known and lesser known facts associated with each ship.

There are the famous captains such as Columbus, Magellan and Vasco de Gama who set out on thrilling voyages of discovery, although meeting daunting conditions on the uncharted seas they traversed. There are the well-known names of ships which played significant roles in the politics and independence of their countries, such as HMS Victory and USS Constitution, and many other fighting vessels that changed the course of history. The Flying Dutchman and other commercial vessels led the way in cutting down travelling time, racing the seas between such far flung shores as Australia, the Orient and the western seaboard of America.

The book also contains an introduction on the history of sail, a detailed glossary of terms, and a comprehensive index.