Architectura Navalis Mercatoria

Subtitled: The Classic of Eighteenth-Century Naval Architecture

by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman
160 pp., softcover

The last time this book was available (1989?) it was hardcover, and the "plates" were fold-out. And the price was $85.00. The very good folks at Dover Books have done a very nice job at recreating this book, and somehow managed to have it sell for just $16.95.

The book was a landmark publication back in the 18th century. Written by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman, he was a naval architect, a vice admiral in the Swedish navy and the author of several books on shipbuilding. It also includes the "treaties on shipbuilding" including commentary on hull resistance in water.

This collection of sophisticated line drawings offers a unique view of maritime world of the mid-1700s.

Table of Contents:

Index and descriptions of the draughts contained in this work.

The Plates

Authors Preface on the Tractat om Skepps-Byggeriet, 1775

On the resistance which a ship in motion meets from the water

On the dimensions of ships

On the Proportions of privateers

On the proportions of masts and yards for merchant ships

On the construction of scale and solidity

On the measurement of tonnage and stowage

On the accommodations for provisions

160 pp., softcover