Ships & Seamanship: The Maritime Prints of J J Baugean

Jean Jerome Baugean was a French marine artist of the Napoleonic era whose engravings are prized by ship historians for their accuracy and detail. Apart from his accomplishments as an artist, Baugean was also an experienced sailor, and he often used his illustrations to demonstrate a specific point of seamanship, shiphandling, or port activity. In this collection of nearly two hundred of Baugean's prints, John Harland, a renowned authority on square rig seamanship, describes the significance and nuances of each engraving. For example, he points out how Baugean depicted a French Ship-of-Line fly-block as secured to the backstay with a short rope becket to prevent it from becoming a dangerous missile should a halliard part. This type of detailed explanation by Harland brings to life these beautiful engravings and results in a fascinating collector's volume.