As a collecto r of tin toy boats myself (when I can afford them) , I can say that this book is about as good as it gets. The extensive photography is beautiful, and the range of the collection is phenomenal. From cast metal and wooden Boor boats to wo rking tin submarines, ocean liners and battleships-they're al l here. In a day and age when most chil dren's toys are plastic and probably co mputeri zed in some way, th is window into the class ic age of toy boats is both refresh ing and a bit gro unding. These were the days when play time was fueled by imagination, som etimes assisted by a clockwork motor or perhaps even a miniatu re steam engine. In addition to containing nearly every type of toy boat yo u can imagine, the book is also a great reference to the companies that made them, both in the United States and in Europe. Add to this a price index and an extensive list of books about toy boats and yo u come up with a reference every collector should own. Even those who do not collect toy boats will find this book fascinating, and it might even inspire a few non-collectors to start. With over 200 pages representing 120 manufacturers and more than 45 0 fullcolor photos of over 1,000 boats and ships, The Allure of Toy Ships is a visual feast, an informational treasure trove, and a lot of fun for the child admiral in all of us!
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The Sea Rover's Practice: P irate Tactics and Tech niques, 163 0-1730 by Benerson Little (Potomac Books, Inc., 320pp, illus, maps, appen, notes, biblio, ISBN : 1-57488910-9; $27.5 0hc) The Sea Rover's Practice is a relatively short, yet encyclopedic book, co ncerned with pirate tactics and techniques, largely around the waters of the Americas between 1630 and 1730. Benerson Little approaches the topic from the unique perspective of his experience as a former Navy SEAL officer. H e describes exactl y who these sea rovers were, their tactics, weaponry, and vessel usage, but he places them in context with the moti vations, atticudes, loyalties, and occasio nal irreverence of the contemporary Special Forces units. What results is a remarkable symmetry of how p eople behave SEA HISTORY 114, SPRING 2006
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