Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Renaissance (Softshell Books)

I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about the specifics of the Venetian approach to shipbuilding, which was very different to that of contemporary shipbuilding. (As an example, in Inferno, Dante refers to "the pitch that the Venetians use to seal their shoddy ships")I found a bit in this book about construction methods (less than I'd hoped for) but got a ton in return that I didn't know I'd wanted.Venice recognized early that their navy was the key to their power. Much of the book is about industrial policy as the Venetians attempted to keep a large "surge" capacity for building warships even in times of peace. They subsidized shipwrights, engaged in protectionist restrictions on commerce in foreign-built ships, attempted to break the unions, tried to protect critical materials needed for ship building, and did dozens of other things that a student of modern industrial policy will find very familiar. This is an amazing book.

It would be ridiculous and supercilious to review this great book of a great historian, celebrated since its first edition in 1934. This is only a loving recollection of an illustrious researcher and dear friend that dedicated so much of his outstanding toil to the Queen of the Mediterranean.It is enough to say that Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Renaissance, after seventy years, is still a must for all who want to study in depth the European history of the XV and XVI century.

This was a gift for my husband who is interested in ships of the renaissance. He really enjoyed reading it.

As the book was written almost 90 years ago, a wealth of information from recent wreck research is missing.

Great work.very useful.