History of Merchant Shipping and Ancient Commerce

Originally published in 1874–6, this illustrated four-volume work offers a full and authoritative history of maritime trade.

W. S. Lindsay (Author)

9781108057622, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 February 2013

724 pages, 46 b/w illus. 1 map
21.6 x 14 x 4 cm, 0.91 kg

The shipowner and politician William Schaw Lindsay (1816–77) combined a wealth of personal experience with a meticulous approach to research. Originally published in 1874–6, this is his authoritative four-volume history of the world of ships and maritime trade. Its coverage ranges from the legend of Noah's Ark, through ancient commerce and the colonising expeditions of the middle ages, to the progress brought about by the introduction of steam to the shipping of Lindsay's own day. Details on construction and performance sit alongside explanations of the customs and superstitions of seamen, complemented by full accounts of many important nautical events. Volume 1 encompasses shipping in the ancient world, the foundation of a royal and commercial navy in England, and tales of the Norman invasion and the Crusades to the Holy Land, ending with Christopher Columbus' voyages of discovery. Evident throughout the work are Lindsay's practical knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject.

Introductory
1. Maritime commerce of antiquity
2. Earliest caravan trade
3. Egypt
4. Route via the Cape to India, discovered by the Phoenicians
5. Ancient India
6. Rome
7. Roman empire
8. Constantinople, AD 718–1453
9. Ancient galleys
10. Britain: its maritime position
11. The early Scandinavian Vikings settle on the coast of Scotland and elsewhere
12. Increase of the English fleet, AD 1066
13. Treaties with Spain and the merchants of Portugal
14. Early efforts of France to restore the civilization of Europe, Venice
15. Prohibition to trade with infidels, commercial policy of the Italian republics
16. Spain and Portugal - importance of their commerce in ancient times and its decline during the middle ages
17. The state of the West India islands when discovered
Appendices
Index.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ]