From the earliest known craft of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt to the final surviving sailing ships of this century, every major step in the development of the sailing ship is beautifully illustrated in this handsome large-format book that includes 1,000 highly detailed scale drawings and sixteen color plates. They are reproduced to standard scales, making comparisons both easy and meaningful.

Organized by period and theme, the entire 6,000-year history of the sailing ship is depicted. A concise but detailed text introduces each ship type and highlights the salient features of every vessel. Such a chronological review provides an unprecedented level of comparative information that will prove invaluable for maritime historians, modelers, and ship enthusiasts everywhere. This work is the only general developmental history of sail available, so it is certain to have broad appeal.