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This was a lovely commission: to contribute 200-300 words per ship on a selection
of selected vessels representing war, trade, exploration, legend, religion, fiction.
Earliest, biggest, fastest, most successful; lost in dramatic circumstances; a vital part of the history of navigation; technologically
advanced; critical player in empire building and trade…I was allotted ships as varied as Noah’s Ark and
HMS Astute, by way of examples of triremes, Hanseatic cogs, 18th century Dutch
warships, East Indiamen, convict ships, Italian torpedo boats, and destroyers . The images were often stunning, encompassing
posters, Italian Renaissance masterpieces, the great age of Dutch marine art, cinema stills, dramatic
photographs and book illustrations. the ships were allotted to people on the basis of their expertise, but there
was also the chance for all those of us involved in the project to look at the proposed lists and protest
ignorance about some of our quota and argue for the inclusion of others. I seem to remember that, in addition to my quota,
I ended up with the ones nobody else wanted - at least, that is my story and I am sticking to it. I made the mistake
of offering the opinion that if the fictional vessels Pequod and Compass Rose were to
be included, so should be Captain Sparrow’s Black Pearl, the most famous
fictional ship of the past half century…So my editor volunteered me to write it… Ship
had to be written at the same time as ‘Carrier’ – enjoyable, but very bad for meeting deadlines! Review This weighty work could have so easily degenerated
into a coffee table production placing style over substance, but with an impressive cast of academic contributors and a well-judged
and well-presented selection of images, it adds up to a remarkably powerful exploration of the ship's role in society
over the centuries ...there can be no dispute about this book's success in conveying the importance of shipping, its influence
upon society and the key themes in the development of the maritime industry - and providing an enjoyable visual feast and
an endlessly fascinating read along the way. --Nautilus International Telegraph, February 2011
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