Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Reading makes you crazy


Quick plug - tonight at 1900 (7 pm), we're knocking out goodies for the Hornet model and digging in to the work on Monomoy No. 1. Come one, come all - free beverages, if you like the kind I've put in the shop fridge that is.


BT


Some of you may have noticed the book stream on the right of my page. That's right - I'm shamelessly selling out for some ungodly small percentage of whatever you buy on Amazon. Actually, I just like having the scrolling images of book covers there and didn't want to bother our overworked multi-media person.


I've been really digesting one book in particular lately - Seamanship in the Age of Sail. If you've not seen it and you have any serious interest in nautical history whatsoever, you'll want to have a look. It is - for all intents and purposes - one of the best reference books on square rigged sailing ever written. Combing period texts in many languages, the author was able to assemble a fairly comprehensive analysis on everything from sailing theory to division of shipboard labor and dealing with casualties. Illustrated with hundreds - yes hundreds - of top quality sketches, paintings and photos, I've been finding it indespensible for work on our Hornet model.


I should note that after sailing on half a dozen tall ships, every single one had this book onboard. It's not something I recommend reading cover to cover, but digesting slowly, over time, and as needed - as any good reference book.


Check it out of your local library if you can - its out of print and can get damned expensive.


NNNN

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