When reviewing books on maritime history, I have sometimes found it necessary to criticise authors for using technical terms without explaining them. The present work provides a guide to many of these often baffling expressions, for it describes 5,600 types of boats and ships, with several times as many cross‐references giving their alternative names in different languages (it would be a boon to Scrabble players with such words as “qurqurru” and “wiswaawoot”). It is explained that the main emphasis is on the ethnography of vernacular ships and boats, from all parts of the world and all known historical periods. The exceptions, however, are substantial: the book does not list vessels propelled solely by an engine, pleasure craft, and the larger naval vessels (unless any of these have the same name as a type that is included), and vessels from archaeological sites the proper names of which are unknown.
Entries range in size from a few lines to about half a column; but there are numerous compounds areas describing up to a dozen different vessels known by the same name. When the name is used in different languages, even more space is devoted to it: thus we find seven pages on the numerous vessels with variants of the name “barca” or “barco”, and this leaves out the various “barks” or “barques” listed later. The major entries are illustrated with a small drawing. Each entry usually contains a description of where and for what the vessel is or was used, its construction and distinctive characteristics, its dimensions and the number of its crew. The descriptions necessarily employ many technical terms for the parts of ships. There is an index of vessels under their country of origin. The general bibliography is surprisingly short, but there are also particular bibliographical references to some entries.
The variety of ships described is amazing. As well as those constructed from conventional wood or metal, one finds craft made from skins, basketwork, reeds, cork, tree bark, and pots. Methods of propulsion include a boat towed by a swimming water‐buffalo, and one in which a paddlewheel was driven by a treadmill, the passengers receiving a discount if they volunteered to assist. Specialised vessels were built for the transport of, inter alia, horseradish, milk and eels. Ships might be used as tea‐rooms, laundries, mills, clubhouses, circuses and duck farms. Along the way the reader may pick up many remarkable facets of social history and ethnography: for instance, when the Elector of Bavaria went for an excursion on the Starnberger See, his barge would be accompanied by specialised craft for, respectively, the kitchen, the wine cellar, the silverware, and the musicians.
But this remarkably comprehensive work is not quite infallible. I wondered if there was an entry for the puffer, one of the few craft I am very familiar with: there is one, but it is quite misleading, giving the impression that the puffer was primarily a naval vessel! I think the editors are not really at home with powered ships. But as they have explicitly disclaimed full coverage of them, this should not be taken as a major criticism of a dictionary which would be invaluable to libraries specialising in maritime affairs.
