The Old East Indiamen

This work surveys the great merchant sailing ships that carried commerce between Europe and the East, detailing their design, construction, outfitting and the business arrangements that sustained long voyages under a trading monopoly. It describes the practical aspects of freighting, navigation and life aboard, and recounts perils at sea including encounters with privateers, naval actions and piracy. Illustrated chapters combine technical description, contemporary anecdotes and operational accounts to show how these vessels were built, manned and defended, and how changes in commerce and naval power eventually brought the era of the old Indiamen to a close.