A beautifully illustrated history of the early ship models of the Royal Navy that are prized today as works of art.From about the middle of the seventeenth century, the Royal Navy's administrators began to commission models of their ships that were accurately detailed and, for the first time, systematically to scale. These developed a recognized style, which included features like the unplanked lower hull with a simplified pattern of framing that emphasized the sha...

Angus Dry has no friends, no job and still lives at home with his mum. But he's quite happy to spend his time taking bubble baths, splashing his dole money on a motorised water laser and recapturing the joys of childhood. His busy mother has an international career as an arms dealer and a string of lovers. He feels terribly sorry for her.In these eight episodes, unambitious Angus tries to reconnect with his old schoolfriends, agonises over the death of a bee, steps out of the confi...

Armored little people riding armored dinosaurs in a full-contact bloodsport? Welcome to Dinolition, the biggest show in the galaxy. Star rider Poughkeepsie Pete and his T-Rex mount “Old Bess” are fixtures of a league struggling to reach profitability and gain intergalactic recognition, to be thought of as something other than circus-freak sideshows.But to get that credibility (and the massive payday that comes with it) Pete has to manage a league commissioner with a God complex, de...

“Where is your wound?” asks Jean Genet in the lines Laurent Mauvignier uses as an epigraph to The Wound. By the time we have finished this four-part novel, we realize that for many the wound lies four decades back in “the Events” that people have tried to not talk about ever since: the Algerian War.Chronicling the lives of two cousins—Bernard and Rabut—both in the present and at the time of the Algerian War of Independence in the 1960s, we get a full picture of the lasting...

After the disappearance of a suspect and a hastily organized election, the power balance in Leadville and the friendship of Sheriff Gannon and Marshal Spencer are thrown into turmoil.But the unknown forces driving the election, push both men to decide on which side of justice they are willing to reside; lawman or outlaw.

The "acclaimed naval historian . . . takes the reader through the intricacies of warship design and construction in both French and British navies." — Historical Novel SocietyIn the series of wars that raged between France and Britain from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, seapower was of absolute vital importance. Not only was each nation's navy a key to victory, but was a prerequisite for imperial dominance. These ongoing struggles for overseas...

"McKay's artful renderings provide a fitting tribute to this amazing vessel and those who participated in her planning and construction." — Pirates and PrivateersSovereign of the Seas was the most spectacular, extravagant and controversial warship of the early seventeenth century. The ultimate royal prestige project, whose armament was increased by the King's decree to the unheard-of figure of 100 guns, the ship finally cost the equivalent of ten m...

'You will venture into the fringes of the wilderness with the minimum of simple gear, to live with it on its own terms. You will know that one of the sure ways to contentment in this life is a small boat, a fair wind, and a new coast to explore.'Dinghy cruising is a wonderful way to experience nature and new coastlines at close quarters and low cost. Sailing where larger boats cannot reach and sleeping under canvas onboard or ashore, this is boating taken right back to the...

Constructed from the wood of over 6,000 trees HMS Victory was designed as a 'first-rate ship', packing a formidable punch with over 100 guns arranged over three decks. Immortalised as Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar, after bringing Nelson's body back to England the Victory sailed out on a number of expeditions until her retirement in 1812.In a wonderfully entertaining narrative, and packed with fun facts, figures and over 100 colour photographs, author John Christ...

This is the internationally regarded definitive handbook for anyone designing, building, rigging or sailing gaffrigged craft. It provides a fascinating insight into the design, history,techniques and developments of a rig which has evolved through thecenturies.John Leather outlines the practical aspects of the masts,spars, sails, running and standing rigging, and contrasts thedevelopment of the gaff rig in Britain, America, Scandinavia andF...

"A wonderful book detailing the construction of the Royal Navy's sailing warships" from the maritime historian and author of Nelson's Navy ( Pirates and Privateers).The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich houses the largest collection of scale ship models in the world, many of which are official, contemporary artifacts made by the craftsmen of the navy or the shipbuilders themselves, and ranging from the mid-seventeenth century to the present da...

Charles I's authoritative and intolerant rule as monarch, and the unpopular Ship Money tax which he initiated, were instrumental in creating the most splendid and controversial warship in English history. She was the grandest venture hitherto created, remarkable for her size, beauty and heavy armament. Even her name, the Sovereign of the Seas, suggested pride and pomp. Designed and built by Phineas Pett, and ably assisted by his son Peter as Master Builder, her keel was laid in December 16...