It is accessible to readers from every level of attainment without ever being simplistic. Dick Steffy has created a book quite unlike any available. a quite remarkable and readable book on the subject of gleaning the maximum information from ancient wrecks. His conclusions and assessments are original and sound, unlike some writers who are uncertain purveyors of the work of others. There is nothing quite like teaching for creating order out of the knowledge gained elsewhere. Also during that time he has taught at the Texas A&M University.

This unassuming man's utterances about the archaeology of boats and all that entails demand attention, since he is one of those very rare persons who has applied a considerable practical talent and intellect to the understanding and reconstruction of ancient wrecks for over thirty years. 'Dick Steffy must be known by reputation, if not personally, throughout the world of nautical archaeology. There is also a select bibliography, annotated where titles do not indicate content and arranged in historical groups to provide sources for most areas of research.Įd Rachal Foundation Nautical Archaeology Series The book contains an illustrated glossary, specifically designed for archaeological use. Rather, the third part of the book discusses work done on previous projects and suggests additional methods that might prove helpful to readers in their own endeavors. Sites, logistics, and the wrecks themselves vary so much that, like wooden shipbuilding, this discipline can never become an exact science. Part III addresses the techniques of recording hull remains, assembling archival information, reconstructing vessels, and converting data into plans and publication. Instead, these three chapters have been assembled to represent a cross section of shipbuilding technology as seen through the interpretation of a select group of finds. Not all of the world's ship and boat excavations can be included in this single volume nautical archaeology has progressed too far for that. Part II is broken into three chapters that investigate ancient, medieval, and post-medieval shipwrecks and supporting documentation. The first introduces the discipline and presents enough basic information to permit the untrained reader to understand the analysis of ship and boat construction that follows. It will also be of value to historians, authors, model builders, and others interested in the design and construction of wooden watercraft of the past. It is intended for nautical archaeologists and for anyone charged with documenting and interpreting the remains of wrecked or abandoned vessels. This book is a guide to the study of the most marvelous structures ever built by humankind–wooden ships and boats.

Wooden ship construction