The Sea Chart: The Illustrated History of Nautical Maps and Navigational Charts by John Blake (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2009, 160pp, illus, isbn 978-1 -59114-7-824; $39.95 pb) Former Royal N aval Officer John Blake successfully covers the arr and science of nautical cartography from before Columbus to th e twenty-first century through meticulous research , supported by high-quality reproductions of the original charts. Chapters are organized geographically as they correlate to periods of European Imperialism and naval warfa re. For example, Chapter 7, "The Pacific and East Indi es," begins with a well-written gen eral overview of the regio n and then delves into the historical events that co nrribu ted to new maps and charts being develo ped for economic or naval warfa re purposes . In addition , each chapter includes an inset box, whi ch provides a derailed look at pertinenr evenrs to the history of cartography, such as Benj amin Franklin's work m apping the G ulf Stream or William Bligh's important contribution to kn owled ge of Pacific islands and charrin g. The author, clearly an expert on navigation, cartography, and m athematics, keeps his discussion relevant and understandable to the general reader. The book's large format (it m easures 12" x 11 " inches) is big enough to display beautiful colo r im ages of entire charts or portio ns of charrs that highlight smaller details, such as cartographic embellishments or a cartouche (decorative insets) often used to fill up the blank spaces on a chart. Where the scale of the map is too small for the reader to make our the fin e print, Blake provides explanatory fig ure captio ns that guide the reader's understanding of the significance of a given chart. Readers well versed in maritime histo ry will recognize historical figures such as Humboldt, M ercator, C ook, and Vanco uver, while being introduced to lesser-known names such as Alexander D alrymple of the East India Company and William H ack, a reform ed buccaneer turned charrmaker. The m aps and charts selected for this book were accessed through Blake's extensive research at the world 's major m ap librari es and archi ves, including the Royal Naval Museum, The US Library of SEA HISTORY 129, WINTER 2009-10
C ongress, The Royal Geographic Society, and National M aritime Museum . After reading through this book, I was inspired to start planning my own trips to some of these historical map repositories to see the origi nals. Until that day comes, I will keep poring over the selections John Blake has provided for readers of his excellent book. BRIAN D. A N DREWS Woods Hole, Massachu setts
MEET THE HERO WHO HID HIS SECRET PAST
Zeb-Schooner Life: A documentary film directed by Gordon Mass in gham (D etrick Lawrence Productions, Edgartown , MA, 2009, 83 minutes, $24 .95 DVD ; www.zebtilton.com) H e was born in a rime when Confederate raiders were h arassing the whaling industry in the Atla ntic and when "Tiltons on the Vineyard were thicker than fiddlers in Hell," according to one person's recollection. H e sailed through six wars: the Spanish America n War, W orld War I, World War II, and his three m arriages. H e was as homely as any ma n alive, self-professedly so. A nd he was as tough as nails, from his skin to hi s tongue to his driving work ethic. Yet he h ad no trouble whatsoever findin g fri ends in every port and rose to national fa me as one of rhe last great schooner captain s in America. And his name was Zeb. Documentary director G ordon Massingham knew he had a gem in Zeb Tilton, a Martha's Vineyard legend. Besides an island full of experts on the man and his life, he also had the scholarly research of Polly Burroughs's Zeb: Celebrated Schooner Captain of M artha's Vineyard behind him. His job was to bring that srory to life for the big screen. Z eb 's co-star in this production, A lice S. Wentworth, rhe schooner with which he fell in love a nd sh ared a significa nt portion of hi s life, holds her own in the story. Sadly, they we re sepa rated when the G reat D epression a nd Zeb's failin g eyesight came between them, but until that day, Zeb was known to drive her like an America's C up yacht, perhaps even faster. Hi s seamanship was so good that when the world came cras hing down a round him and hundreds of boats and lives were lost to the great New England hurricane of September 1938, he and his schooner cam e through the storm unscathed.
"This is a book of adventure that tells how one man shaped the Alaskan frontier at a crucial time in American hi story:' -Vincent William Patton, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, retired
A RAUCOUS READ FROM THE LOWER DECKS I :l> ::0
0
n 0 < m
::0
"The shipboard routine of the amphibiou s transport ship USS Charles Carroll reveals itself in gritty and authentic prose:'-Kenneth W. Estes, author of Marine Officer 's Guide
~
~ UNIVERSITY PRESS OF FLORIDA 800.226.3822 I WWW.UPF.COM GAINESVILLE TA LLA HASSEE TAMPA BOCA RATON PENSACOLA ORLAN DO MIAMI JACKSO NVILLE FORT MYERS SARASOTA
Looking for a Ship? Find it at
www.shipindex.org 53