Eighteenth-century Rigs & Rigging

Book excerpt: This lavishly illustrated volume is the first truly comprehensive study of eighteenth-century rigging from the English First Rate to the Fuchow pole junk. Covering all the warships and merchant vessels of Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia, noted author Karl Heinz Marquardt draws on contemporary sources as well as recent authoritative studies to provide well-documented commentary on the development and significant features of each rig and detailed descriptions of lines blocks, and sails, along with belaying plans of knots, hitches, and ropework. More than 1,200 line drawings, extensive tables of rigging dimensions, and indexes with a full listing of rigging terms in French, German, and English complete this indispensable reference on a complex yet fascinating subject.