What is it about?
This book explains the merchant ship as an important ingredient in understanding the British Atlantic and how technology was developed and used in that world. It was written for those interested in Atlantic studies, colonial American history, technological history, and the history of the British Empire, but who have no prior background in the history of ship technology. Note: Despite the date in the DOI, the book was published 14--16 April 2020.
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Why is it important?
In The Merchant Ship in the British Atlantic, 1600—1800, Phillip Reid refutes the long-held assumption that merchant ship technology in the British Atlantic during the two centuries of its development was static for all intents and purposes, and that whatever incremental changes took place in it were inconsequential to the development of the British Empire and its offshoots. Drawing on a unique combination of evidence from both traditional and unconventional sources, Phillip Reid shows how merchants, shipwrights, and mariners used both proven principles and adaptive innovations in hulls, rigs, and steering systems to manage high physical and financial risks.
Perspectives
This book is the culmination of seven years of work, which included a doctoral dissertation. The book is based on that dissertation, though it incorporates much investigation and material that the earlier work did not. In another sense, it is not a culmination at all, however, as it will serve as a springboard for all my future projects and, I hope, projects for others who are working on not just early modern sailing ship technology, but, more generally, technology in cultural context from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Dr Phillip Frank Reid
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Merchant Ship in the British Atlantic, 1600–1800, April 2020, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004426344.
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