Ladybird Tuesday - The Story of Ships

I'm not quite sure why this Ladybird book appealed to me, I don't have a particular interest in ships. But there was something about it when I saw it in a charity shop recently, and so I picked it up.

The Story of Ships comes from Series 601, the 'Achievements' series. It was first published in 1961, alongside other titles such as The Story of Flight and The Story of the Motor Car.

It's an extremely comprehensive look at ships and shipbuilding over the years. The book begins with the very first boats - a hollowed out log which led to the first canoe. These boats became ships when the sail was developed, meaning that they could travel far longer distances. The book suggests that the very first ships were build more than five thousand years ago, by the ancient Egyptians. There are some lovely illustrations of early ships from countries across the world, similar and yet with their own distinctive features.

It's fascinating to follow the history of shipbuilding through both the words and pictures. The final page of the book hints towards the ships of the future, in particular those that will use atomic power to enable them to sail for long periods of time without refuelling. Although talked about in the book as an exciting, and imminent, development I don't think this is something that has really taken off. There is also only a very brief mention in the book of using ships for transporting cargo, and only in reference to the Royal Merchant Navy. Also only a couple of ocean liners are mentioned - The Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth, with no hint at how cruise ships would increase in size and popularity over the next few decades.

If you love Ladybird books, do pop over and visit Ladybird Tuesday, where Being Mrs C is assembling a really comprehensive catalogue of Ladybird books and reviews.

Below you can find links to all my Ladybird Tuesday book posts.

Snow White and Rose Red
Hansel and Gretel
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
The Three Little Pigs
The Old Woman and her Pig
Little Red Riding Hood
The Ugly Duckling
The Railway Children
A Little Princess
A First book of Aesop's Fables

A Ladybird Book about Knitting
More Things to Make - For Special Occasions
Easy to Make Puppets
Learning to Sew
Stamp Collecting
Tricks and Magic

Prehistoric Animals and Fossils
Dinosaurs
Stone Age Man in Britain
Great Civilisations - Crete
Charles Dickens
Nelson
Lives of the Great Composers Book 1
Lives of the Great Composers Book 2
The Story of Music

Plants and How They Grow
The Ladybird Book of the Night Sky
Sea and Air Mammals
The Farm

The Story of Nuclear Power
The Motor Car
How it Works - The Computer
How it Works - The Rocket
The Story of Ships
The Postman and the Postal Service
People at Work - The Nurse

Understanding Numbers
Talkabout Clothes
Going to School
Teaching Reading

Stories of Special Days and Customs
Christmas Customs

Girls and Boys - A Ladybird Book of Childhood