Cogs, Caravels and Galleons: The Sailing Ship 1000-1650 (Conway's History of the Ship)

COGS, CARAVELS AND GALLEONS traces the development of seagoing vessels from the traditions of late antiquity to the all-important emergence of the three-masted ship, undoubtedly the most significant innovation in the history of shipping before the steam engine. Without the three-masted ship the European age of exploration and expansion is almost inconceivable and there is no doubt that the subsequent evolution of the world would have been markedly different.
In recent years much original research has been done in this field, based on both documentary sources and archeology, but this is the first overall synthesis of the new material now available. The main chapters are devoted to the principal ship types, explaining the latest thinking on the characteristics of cogs, caravels, and hulks that have caused scholarly debate for decades.
There are also more general sections on essential background subjects like construction and guns and gunnery, as well as pertinent essays on the evidence -- from documentary sources, contemporary illustrations and archeology. All the contributors are foremost experts in their fields, but in presenting the fruits of their research at an approachable level, COGS, CARAVELS AND GALLEONS is a pioneering work in this area of maritime history.
Lavishly illustrated, this informative volume - the eighth in an ambitious series - includes over 50 black-and-white photos, 145 illustrations, and five tables.

• The Age of the Galley: Mediterranean Oared Vessels Since Pre-Classical Times (Conway's History of the Ship)
• The Heyday of Sail: The Merchant Sailing Ship 1650-1830 (Conway's History of the Ship)
• The Line of Battle: The Sailing Warship 1650-1840 (Conway's History of the Ship)
• Renaissance War Galley 1470–1590 (New Vanguard)
• The Eclipse of the Big Gun: The Warship, 1906-45 (Conway's History of the Ship)
• The Golden Age of Shipping: The Classic Merchant Ship 1900-1960 (Conway's History of the Ship)
• The Advent of Steam: The Merchant Steamship before 1900 (Conway's History of the Ship)
• Steam, Steel & Shellfire: The Steam Warship 1815-1905 (Conway's History of the Ship)
• Sail's Last Century: The Merchant Sailing Ship, 1830-1930 (Conway's History of the Ship)
• Sailing ships of war, 1400-1860 (Conway's History of Sail)