I've always been a American Sailing Navy buff. Though I don't often get into the nitty gritty of the construction of ships or the actual nature of contruction of the ship itself, I have found that Chappelle's "History" is a fantastic resource as one researches and reads about the American sailing navy. I actually have a near-mint first edition copy of it which I value highly.

Chappelle was while he was alive, the foremost expert in the design and evolution of the American sailing Navy. His knowledge and talent was put to good use in writing a book that is still commonly refered to by naval historians over 50 years since it was written.

I do not believe that many books of a similar nature have been written since, possibly because Chappelle was so thorough in his coverage of the subject when he wrote this book.

The book itself chronicals the evolution of the American sailing Navy, from colonial days, before there even was a navy, to the 1850's when steam began to take over. It includes hundreds of diagrams of ships, illustrations, dimentions, and drawings.

So complete is his data, that I know of at least one modelmaker, who's used Chapelle's data extensively in construction of his models.

If you enjoy sailing, or American sailing Navy history, this book is definately worth a look.

For those who are interested in the technical details of the US Navy sailing ships, this is the book of choice. This is perhaps one of the most complete and thorough research book that covers the history of the sailing ships serving the US Navy. The book's eight chapters plus an appendix covers sail ships that served in the US Navy from the colonial period up to the last one built before the Civil War. Sail ships ranging in sizes from small sloops to large Ship of the Line are covered. Details regarding the design considerations/proposals, dimensions, number/types of guns, tonnage, performance, etc. are included. Detail illustrations are also included.

This book mentions some brief history of some of the sailing vessels but not in detail. So for those who are interested in the history of a particular vessel this is not the book of choice.

Any naval historian, architecture, and those interested in sailing should get this book and will not be disappointed.

Howard Chapelle probably is personally responsible for documenting over a dozen types of uniquely American sailing vessel types and numerous small craft that would have otherwise been lost to the ravages of time and so called, "progress".

Who better to research and write a history of the American Navy during the glory days of sail, 1775-1854. His direct access to Navy documentation, redrawing of original sketches (drawn plans were not the norm in this era), and interpretation of sail plans and rigging, add up to a well written, fascinating account of the early shipbuilder's, Naval Constructors, and misguided politics and shenanigans of our fledgling Navy department.

One can almost come to grips with how the current Department of Defense collectively thinks, and why nothing is ever as simple as it seems it should be.

No matter if you are a student of naval architecture, or just love sailing ships, the wonderful illustrations and informative text are a delight to read and the tables of information invaluable to the scale modeler.

A definate must for every sailor's (or Horatio Hornblower wannabe's) reference shelf.

Chapelles Baltimore Clipper is a much needed work concerning a type of sailing vessel that is unfortunatly overlooked by most Naval Historians. Chapelle begins with several earlier types of vessels thal may have been the forerunner(s) of the Clippers and continues through the American Revaloution, the War of 1812, the slave trade, to the types decline in the mid 19th century. Included are hull plans, deck plans, and sail plans, all take offs of actual ships of this type. Also covered are weapons and weapons placement. This is a must have book for anyone wanting to build an authentic model of a vessel of this type or for anyone interested in American ships in the age of sail.

All modern students of bark and skin boats begin with this book. The intial work on the native watercraft of North America.

While the book does not cover the watercraft of all North American First Nations, it does provide a broad range of information on craft from many Nations across the continent.

This book is highy recommended to anyone interested in the history of canoes or kayaks as developed on the North American continent.