Synopsis
In the sailing era, the warships called First Rates were the largest, most powerful, and most costly ships to construct, maintain, and operate. Built to the highest standards, they were lavishly decorated and given carefully considered names that reflected the pride and prestige of their country. They were the very embodiment of national power, and as such drew the attention of artists, engravers, and printmakers. In this first history of the major ships in the Royal Navy during the Age of Sail, virtually every British First Rate from the Prince Royal of 1610 to the end of sail is represented by an array of paintings, drawings, models, or plans. This spectacular collection of illustrations, many in full color, is a celebration of these magnificent ships, combining an authoritative history of their development with reproductions of many of the best images of the ships, chosen for their accuracy, detail, and sheer visual power in an extra-large format that does full justice to the images themselves. It also includes comparative data on similar vessels in other navies, so it is a book that all with an interest in wooden warships will find both enlightening and a pleasure to peruse.
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About the Author
Rif Winfield is the author of the three-volume series British Warships in the Age of Sail, which covers every Royal Navy vessel built, purchased, or captured between 1603 and 1817. He lives in the UK.
Review
The book covers the main eras of the age of sail, starting with the Caroline navy, through Commonwealth, Restoration and the French and Napoleonic wars, and culminates in the steam - powered wooden battleships of the Victorian era. Each chapter is illustrated with well chosen paintings, etchings, photographs, mainly of the Admiralty models of the period, and wherever possible Admiralty drafts of appropriate ships. The design and careers of individual ships are briefly described with particular highlights covered in more detail. There are also numerous two - page spreads on related topics. The reproduction of the illustrations is, without exception, superb; clearly a lot of effort here has gone into getting the colour reproduction as close to the original as possible. The piece de resistance is a superb four - page fold out of the draft of HMS Victoria of 1863; a full - colour reproduction, replete with detail. This is a book to be recommended to anyone with an interest in these ships, which arguably constituted mankind's greatest technological achievements during the 300 years or so that they reigned supreme. (Warship- Naval Books of the Year)
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First Rate: The Greatest Warship of the Age of Sail
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First Rate: The Greatest Warships of the Age of Sail
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