Navy Board Ship Models

From about the middle of the seventeenth century the 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 shape of the underwater body. Exquisitely crafted, these were always rare and highly prized objects - indeed, Samuel Pepys expressed a profound desire to own one - and today they are widely regarded as the acme of the ship modeler's art. As benefits its subject, Navy Board Ship Models is visually striking, with numerous color photographs that make it as attractive as it is informative to anyone with an interest in model making or historic ships.

The authors are eminently qualified to cover this important subject. Simon Stephens is Curator of Ship Models and Boats at the National Maritime Museum and Nick Ball is Archeological Data Manager at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. Between them they have produced a very beautiful book that is well-written and informative as well as superbly illustrated; an indispensable volume for anyone interested in naval ships of the period or in the peak of modelling skills portraying the sailing navy. --Nautical Research Journal, This is a very high-quality publication. --Warship

Simon Stephens and Nick Ball are curators at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.