lamdha books -
Catalogue of books on ship modelling

Click on the small images at right to see a larger picture

208460 Bowen, John (ed.) Model Shipwright 1972-1997 An Anthology Conway Maritime Press, London, 1997. Quarto hardcover; red boards with gilt spine titling; 192pp., b&w illustrations. Minor wear only; near fine in like dustwrapper. Click here to order $32

208426 Feldman, Clayton A. Modeling an Armed Virginia Sloop of 1768 Phoenix Publications, Cedarburg, 1991. Quarto; paperback; 118pp., monochrome illustrations. Mild wear; rubbing and edgewear to covers. Near fine. Click here to order $32

208589 Franklin, John Navy Board Ship Models 1650-1750 Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1989. First edition. Quarto; hardcover, with gilt spine titles; 186pp., with 8pp. of colour plates and many monochrome illustrations. Mild wear; spine extremities softened; a small coffee stain to the text block fore-edge. Dustwrapper is lightly rubbed and edgeworn; now backed by archival-quality white paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. The official Admiralty or Dockyard model is universally acknowledged to be the most sophisticated expression of the ship modeller's art; yet, apart from the belief that such models were useful adjuncts in the design stages of their full-size prototypes, not a great deal is known about them. The identity of the modellers, and, indeed, often the identity of the models themselves, remain uncertain and have provoked debate amongst scholars for decades. In this book the background and use of the models is fully discussed before the author turns to a detailed analysis of their materials, construction techniques and decoration, with a whole section devoted to their controversial style of framing. The second half of the book comprises a representative selection of some two dozen of the best models described in detail, with photographs and line drawings. There are several appendices dealing with contemporary references to various models. Click here to order $45

208575 Freeston, Ewart C. Prisoner of War Ship Models 1775-1825 Conway Maritime Press Ltd., London, 1987. Reprint: quarto; hardcover, with gilt spine titles; 174pp., with a monochrome frontispiece and many illustrations likewise. Mild wear; slightly rolled; spine extremities softened; light scattered foxing to the preliminaries. Price-clipped dustwrapper is lightly rubbed and edgeworn; foxing to the flaps and verso; now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. This survey of bone ship models made by French and American prisoners during and after the Napoleonic wars covers the wide range of warships from a size of less than two inches to more than seven feet. The book also outlines some of the other varied materials which were used including ivory, wood, straw and tortoiseshell. The sails as well as the hulls were made from these materials and sometimes even the rigging. The author looks at the prisoners themselves, their working conditions, the tools they used and their motives and methods of sale. As records of the ships of the period they are valuable since few builders' models were made during the war: as objects of aesthetic appeal they have been widely sought after both by museums and individuals. Click here to order $37

208532 Hobbs, Edward W. How to Make Clipper Ship Models A Practical Manual dealing with every aspect of Clipper Ship Modelling from the Simplest Waterline Types to Fine Scale Models fit for Exhibition purposes Brown Son & Ferguson Nautical Publishers Ltd., Glasgow Scotland UK, 1987. Octavo; hardcover, with gilt spine and upper board titles; 213pp., with a monochrome frontispiece, many illustrations likewise and five folding schematics. Mild wear; some minor creasing to the folding schematics. Dustwrapper lightly rubbed and edgeworn; now backed by archival-quality white paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Click here to order $25

71252 Hobbs, Edward W. How to Make Old Time Ship Models Brown, Son & Ferguson, Glasgow, 1972. Hardcover, octavo; blue boards with upper board and spine silver gilt titling; 208pp., monochrome illustrations and fold-out diagrams. Mild rubbing to board edges and corners; lightly toned text block edges; spotting to rear panel of dustwrapper and wear to edges and corners; creasing and chipping on spine extremities. Very good and protected in archival film with white paper backing. Click here to order $30

208573 Mansir, Richard The Art of Ship Modelling Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York / Moonraker Publications, Dana Point CA, 1982. Quarto; hardcover, with gilt spine titles; 320pp., with many colour and monochrome illustrations and diagrams. Mild wear; slightly shaken; spine extremities softened; light corner-bumping; previous owner's name in pencil to the title page. Dustwrapper is rubbed and edgeworn; now backed by archival-quality white paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Rich in technical detail, The Art of Ship Modelling is both a history of marine architecture and a guide to miniature ship construction for builders and collectors. Click here to order $35

71212 Underhill, Harold A. Plank-on-frame Models and Scale Masting & Rigging Volume 1: Scale Hull Construction with Plans and Sketches by the Author Brown, Son & Ferguson Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland, UK, 1985. Octavo; hardcover; dark red textured boards with silver-gilt spine titling and blind stamped on the upper board; 157pp. with many monochrome photographic and line illustrations plus 7 pages of ship plans. Front board fanned; text block edges spotted. A very good copy withal, in a rubbed dustwrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Click here to order $60