Mary
asked
Sherwood Smith:
What did you do to research ships and nautical life for the Inda series? (which I love!)
Sherwood Smith
That was a very long process. It began with tracking down as many of course sources that Patrick O'Brian used as I could, then reaching even farther back, to Mahan and others' descriptions of the evolution of war ships. (I had to figure out what ships would look like, and the strategy and tactics that would evolve if gunpowder was not invented, which meant studying Viking ships, triremes, etc)
Then I went back and found as many memoirs by sailors as I could get my hands on.
Probably the best source (and the most expensive, alas!) is Harland's SEAMANSHIP IN THE AGE OF SAIL. Another extremely technical (with beautiful inset drawings) is Longridge's THE ANATOMY OF NELSON'S SHIPS, and also Wilbur's THE PICTURE BOOK OF THE REVOLUTION'S PRIVATEERS.
Then I went back and found as many memoirs by sailors as I could get my hands on.
Probably the best source (and the most expensive, alas!) is Harland's SEAMANSHIP IN THE AGE OF SAIL. Another extremely technical (with beautiful inset drawings) is Longridge's THE ANATOMY OF NELSON'S SHIPS, and also Wilbur's THE PICTURE BOOK OF THE REVOLUTION'S PRIVATEERS.
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