This book is intended for all those readers who enjoy stories of the sea and about sailors and old time sea fights, but who are not really sure what all the various sailing ships mentioned really looked like ... also some types of gun then used are hard to find pictures of, so that the reader has only a hazy idea of what these guns looked like and how they worked. Colin Munro here provides the reader with silhouettetes of over 100 period sailing ships, from the cog of the Middle Ages to the clipper ships. The galleons and galleasses of Spain, the galleys of the Mediterranean, the English ships of the Stuart period with their Dutch opponents, and later, the ships of the wars with France and America, are all included. Many of the smaller cargo vessels, coasters and fishing boats are also shown, together with a small number of ships from the Near and Far East. Each ship is illustrated in silhouette -- with the sails shown in grey -- and short notes are included on each vessel. Drawings of rigging details, guns and other equipment are also included, to make an invaluable reference book for all those who love the age of sail." -- Inside front cover.