The wooden fighting ship in the royal navy

This splendidly illustrated book presents the history of the development of the wooden fighting ship from the time of King Alfred until the third quarter of the nineteenth century, which saw the end of traditional wooden ship-building for the Royal Navy.The author is the curator of oil paintings at the National Maritime Museum, and so is well placed to use its unique records and collections. He has worked in close collaboration with the artist, Ray Woodward, who has produced meticulous drawings, working from Admiralty builders' draughts and from models an pictures.
Besides the general text, the book contains copious lists of establishments of ships and guns, a summary of British navals events to 1860, appendices on flags and types of shot, and a glossary of naval terms.
The companion volume, the metal fighting ship in the royal navy 1860-1970, deals with the development of iron and steel-hulled warships from their first appearance in the middle of the last century until the present time.