A Dictionary of the World's Watercraft

Book excerpt: For nearly all of human history the coasts and oceans, and rivers and lakes have offered paths for exploration, settings for warfare, routes for commerce and colonialism and, of course, sources for food. And for all these activities an incredible variety of indigenous watercraft have been fashioned by sailors and fishermen and shipwrights. Aak to Zumbra surveys them all and contains descriptions of form and function, means of propulsion, crew size, particular design features, as well as notes on construction methods and materials. There are thousands of cross-references, starred for easy reference, with vernacular and specialised terms. Also included are little-known, rare and extinct types, notes on cultural traditions, along with a reading list and a geographical index.