Square-Rigged Ships: An Introduction

by Alan Villiers

Though the thrilling age of regularly seeing large square-rigged ships in full sail has passed, this gripping narrative is a classic overview of these fascinating ships, written by an author who knew them inside out. This book is a step-by-step introduction to the ships and their mesmerizing designs, the treacherous routes they sailed, and the specialist skills of men who worked on them. Complete with both insights into the bygone era of sailing and entertaining stories of perilous adventures at sea, this is the perfect compendium for sailors, historians, and travel enthusiasts alike.

Genres: Nautical

78 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Mr. Alan Villiers (23 September 1903 - 3 March 1982) was an Australian sailor who had won considerable fame for himself as a result of his voyages in sailing-ships. Mr. Villiers preferred the excitement and the danger of small sailing-ships to the comfort and the safety of the modern ship.

Reviews

[Athena · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to learn how sailing works, this is not the book to teach you. It's a prose poem, a love poem, written for the ships which no longer travel the waves. Square-rigged ships were outdated even when this book was written and Alan Villiers mourned them beautifully. He knew them inside and out. And he acknowledged that the only way to learn them was to live and work aboard them; books would do you no good.

This book is full of tiny moments of humor, a huge amount of technical information which is baffling even if you have an understanding of sails and ships, and an author's passion so deep you can feel it radiating from the text.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a chronicle of one man's experience as a sailor (and later a captain) in the large square-rigged sailing ships of the early 20th century. Informative, but highly technical as to nautical terms and somewhat tedious to read. The author jumped around a lot and was not coherent in his writing style. I would not recommend the book.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good personal account. Some interesting facts I did not know. This is available on the kindle.