"The Ship" covers the development of ships, from rafts and dug-outs to the supertankers of the years right up to when the book was published. It is illustrated in a consistent and clear style. Some illustrations have labels for each important part. I cannot recommend it strongly enough, it's amazing to study if you intend to draw ships or write about them. Its coverage of vessels from outside Europe and North America is comparatively sparse, but it does include some.

Its reconstructions and descriptions of ancient to early modern ships are what make this book really shine, and where the author seems at his most excited. For mediaeval ships, for example, he shows period artwork alongside his reconstructions, and for Greek and Roman warships, he takes the time to explain how the rowers likely sat. In these sections, he talks about the specific changes from one period and ship type to another, weaving the story of seemingly natural, clear progression.

That narrative thread becomes lost with the steam era, and it feels like so does Landström's enthusiasm. The descriptions of later ships focus on numerical data such as tonnage, with much less about their distinctive features and the logic behind their designs. However, even these pages still manage to be informative and beautiful.

One final flaw is that there's no glossary. It feels like an introductory text and explains the meanings of some terms, but there is much that goes unexplained, and which cannot be adequately deduced from context, particularly in the context of rigging. The labelled illustrations help, but a glossary that explains the significance of the different kinds of sails and rigging bits would have been a fantastic companion. Maybe one of these days I'll make one of my own and stick it into my copy.

Despite its flaws, it's such an amazing resource that I have to rate it highly. Ships are an intimidating subject to write and draw if you're not into them, but this book makes them much more approachable through its clarity.