Lennarth Petersson

I believe the publisher of this book (Seaforth) did the reader (and potential reader) a disservice in the title of this book. I do not know if the Swedish author gave this book the title or if the publisher imposed it. Whatever the case, let me make it clear that this book is not about "rigging period ship models." It is about rigging a particular ship model, specifically the Royal Navy frigate HMS Melampus, which is (at least at the date of publication) located at the Bristol Industrial Museum, Bristol, England.

So what we have here is a 119-page book with a table of contents, a one-page introduction, and an index. The rest of the book consists of drawings of the rigging of the Melampus model, which reflects Royal Navy rigging practices of the late eighteenth century.

Now don't get me wrong. The drawings made by Mr. Petersson are exquisite--certainly the same level of excellence as those found in the Anatomy of the Ship series. The drawings are well-labeled in the sailing nomenclature of the day. So if one is modeling a fully rigged British frigate of the mid to late eighteenth century, this is certainly the book for you. However, if you bought this book to broaden your knowledge of the rigging of sailing ships in general, this book will be of little use.

My rating of this book is no reflection of Mr. Petersson's work--I think it's a five star effort. My rating is for Seaforth, who misleads potential readers in their selection of this title.

Those who look to buy this volume beware!… (mehr)