ebooks Voyages: To the New World and Beyond by Gordon Miller in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. From What I Have Seen: This is the Best Survey on ShipsBy Charles M. MarstellerThis remarkable artist has compiled a very complete survey of ships--and from what I have seen; I think it is the best such book on the market for books of this type.Mr.Miller presents a survey of the basic ship types (Caravels; Carracks; etc) with profiles in his first chapter; and while not exhaustive; it is a good introduction. Miller goes on to briefly discuss the various technologies used and equipment found on the early sailing ships.The joy of the book is 100 or so paintings--all consistently excellent--which present in chronological order the great explorers. A brief list includes Leif Erickson; Bartolomeu Diaz; Columbus; Cabot; da Gama; Vespucci; Magellan; Cartier; Drake; Hudson; de Bougainville; Cook and Perez.Miller also raises many topics; such as the the Romans; Hanseatic League; Jamestown; the Mayflower; the Swedes; Australia the Dutch explorers and the East India Companies.In otherwords; the book is exhaustive--and clearly; it has taken Mr.Miller decades to bring his presentation to us.This you will see when you purchase this book with its excellent historical narrative.We owe Mr.Miller our appreciation for his hard and fine work.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Beautiful paintings; excellent explicationBy G. WagnerThe history of exploration is inextricably linked with the history of the sailing ship. This excellent book describes the ships; the voyages; and the navigators who filled in the maps and reunited the various corners of the globe. Carefully detailed drawings of the different vessels anchor the book; and the text is rich and detailed as well. As technology progressed; sailors' purposes evolved; from local trading to exploration; conquest; and eventually settlement; and finally to discovery for its own sake. Notable voyages for each purpose are highlighted; including brief biographies of the expedition leaders; their intentions; and the eventual outcomes. But the crowning glory of this work are the more than one hundred beautiful oil paintings by the author; which capture the excitement of the voyages; from the terror of these tiny wooden boats on the vast seas to the thrill of the encounters with various native peoples. Details; again; seem incredibly well- researched and realistic; from the native attire to the lines and decoration of each individual ship. The author's love for this nautical history is infectious; his passion is a superlative tribute to the glory of this brave era.I received a copy from the San Francisco Book Review in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A rich; powerful and enchanting narrativeBy Marc RangerFirst thing; the drawings alone are well worth your time. Gordon Miller is a talented artist; you can easily lose yourself in those pictures of forgotten ships and adventures. One can imagive himself onboard; leaving his former life to embrace mystery; exploration and discovery.The book itself features all the great stories of exploration; from the Norse's venture into the North Atlantic to the exploration and exploitation of North America West Coast. The only drawback; for my taste; is that the author spent to much space on the Vancouver area. However; what a rich; powerful and enchanting narrative Gordon Miller treats us with about the world's oceans exploration.The stars of Gordon Miller's work are Ferdinand Magellan; Jacques Cartier; Christopher Colombus; Martin Frobisher and James Cook. Sailors were highly couragous men; absolutly experiencing a living hell while at sea. Scurvy; hunger; deplorable living condition; gales and so on transformed those epic expeditions into horrendous death sentences.Even with so many obstacles he had to face; a genious had the wisdom and intelligence to make life at sea more than bearable. About Cook; Miller wrote:"In fact; men who sailed with Cook were more likely to survive than if they stayed ashore".You could not write a better epithet for the best seaman humankind ever knew.