The American-Built Clipper Ship, 1850-1856: Characteristics, Construction, and Details - Tapa dura

. . .impressive detail. . .Appealing to more than the casual reader, Crothers takes the ships apart literally plank by plank with drawings and accompanying text.''

With the sweep of its bow, its graceful lines, and its cloud of canvas, the clipper ship sparked a romance with the American public that still endures 150 years later. During the 1850s, intense intercity rivalries arose around locally built clippers, as they reached and maintained speeds that were unheard of previously. Ships were suddenly christened with romantic names, and the interiors of passenger-carrying vessels reached a new level of embellishment. The product of 35 years of research, The American-Built Clipper Ship presents in exquisite detail 152 clippers that comprise the culmination of the shipbuilder's art. Every facet of clipper-ship design and construction is covered, from felling timber to details on interior finish work. Extraordinarily crisp and detailed drawings by the author, who retired from the design department of the Philadelphia Naval yard, illustrate this magificent work. No other single source covers so many vessels in such detail.