Henderson, founder of Philadelphia's Maritime Museum, is a renowned collector of items relating to the sea and the life of sailors. This beautifully illustrated book paints a realistic picture of the everyday life of the ordinary seaman in the American and British navies from 1750 to 1910 through manuscripts, journals, diaries, logs, books, ceramics, textiles, metals, ship models, and photography. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of the seagoing life. But although this unique, fascinating work fills an existing scholarly gap, its subject matter and price will probably restrict its purchase to libraries with strong collections of naval history.
-Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, NY Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Reader Reviews
This book gives an extremely interesting account of the lives of sailors of both the United States and Britain in the age of sailing and steam-powered ships. Through artifacts gathered by nautical antiques collector (and founder of the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia) J. Welles Henderson, we discover what valued most to these men (and a few women) and get a taste of how they passsed their time. An extremely impressive array of images shows their handicrafts (scrimshaw, macramé, etc.), as well as pointing out the dangers and drudgery inherent in the sailors' lives. Topics cover everything from discipline at sea and sailor's misbehavior on shore to acts of piracy and available medical care. Both naval and merchant service experiences are explored. I only wish such a comprehensive volume had been available when I did the research for my novel A Star to Sail By, which features a sailor of the clipper ship era. I would recommend this book to anyone with a love of sea lore and a nostalgia for the age of the great sailing ships.
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