The Mercantile Marine: the Story of the Merchants of the Seas and Oceans

The story of sail and trade

Man is a creature on the land occupying a world covered principally by water. Whilst he could move himself and his trade goods by foot, beast and wheel, he realised millennia ago the potentials of the open water and the power of the wind to carry his goods to market. So the birth of the Mercantile Marine was inevitable. The history of the passage of goods upon the high seas has been taken in hand here by Keble Chatterton a recognised scholar of his time on all matters maritime. This book-which includes many images of merchant men-traces the course of this fascinating subject from the earliest times to the early twentieth century with scholarly thoroughness. The reader will discover the Mediterranean traders of the 14th century, the northern sailors, the golden age of the Dutch ,the glamour of the East Indiamen and every other facet of this absorbing subject. Available in soft cover and hard cover for collectors.