Overview

We know the shape of the world today because ships of the mid-fiftennth to mid-eighteenth centuries, driven by wind and human muscle, were navigated into every last bay and estuary on Earth searching for new riches. First the take was spices and other exotic products of the Orient, then gold and ivory from Africa, followed by beaver pelts, coffee, and goods from the Americas, and finally luxurious sea otter pelts from the Northwest Coast of North America. The ships that made these voyages evolved over time and their navigators benefited from centuries of accumulated experience. Voyages recounts the extraordinary feats of more than twenty of Europe's most daring maritime explorers as they ventured into the unknown and braved uncharted territory, including Christopher Columbus, Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, John Cabot, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Jacques Cartier, Martin Frobisher, Ferdinand Magellan, Francis Drake, and James Cook. Exquisitely illustrated with almost 100 of Gordon Miller's paintings, many detailed maps, and ship drawings, Voyages reveals the evolution of maritime technologies, the rise and fall of maritime empires, the extreme dangers of sailing uncharted waters, the courage and brutality of life at sea, and the discovery of new continents, cultures, and products. Through their voyages, these ships and sailors defined the true dimensions of the oceans and coastlines of the world.

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9780295991153

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Reviews

The illustrations are almost magical, transporting the reader to a specific time and place . . . Together with the text, the imagination is balanced with enough historical information to make the reading and viewing of this book a delight on many levels. -Jeffrey Smith, Oregon Historical Quarterly

Miller's painstaking style has produced plates that are, in effect, rendered, three-dimensional working drawings; one can literally count the number of planks in a vessel's hull. . . . precisely what the historian and research wants to see. . . . the paintings are marvelous simply to look at. -John McKay, International Journal of Maritime History , December 2011

"""The illustrations are almost magical, transporting the reader to a specific time and place... Together with the text, the imagination is balanced with enough historical information to make the reading and viewing of this book a delight on many levels."" -- Jeffrey Smith * Oregon Historical Quarterly * ""Miller's painstaking style has produced plates that are, in effect, rendered, three-dimensional working drawings; one can literally count the number of planks in a vessel's hull.... precisely what the historian and research wants to see.... the paintings are marvelous simply to look at."" -- John McKay * International Journal of Maritime History * ""Visually spectacular."" -- Tracey Sherlock * Vancouver Sun * ""This 200-page coffee-table style art book is a very special pleasure to browse through from beginning to end, and a highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic Art History and Marine History collections."" ""Miller has the talent to carry off both painting and text.... Miller's well-paced narratives reopen a lost world of navigation... Miller's paintings are beautifully rendered as they reimagine the ships according to the historical record..."" -- Mike Dillon * City Living * ""A handsome coffee-table book that tells the story of world exploration... Miller, a maritime artist and illustrator living in Vancouver, B.C., wrote the text and illustrated the book with almost 100 of his own beautifully detailed paintings."" -- Mary Ann Gwinn * The Seattle Times *"

The illustrations are almost magical, transporting the reader to a specific time and place... Together with the text, the imagination is balanced with enough historical information to make the reading and viewing of this book a delight on many levels. -- Jeffrey Smith Oregon Historical Quarterly Miller's painstaking style has produced plates that are, in effect, rendered, three-dimensional working drawings; one can literally count the number of planks in a vessel's hull... precisely what the historian and research wants to see... the paintings are marvelous simply to look at. -- John McKay International Journal of Maritime History Visually spectacular. -- Tracey Sherlock Vancouver Sun This 200-page coffee-table style art book is a very special pleasure to browse through from beginning to end, and a highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic Art History and Marine History collections. Midwest Book Review Miller has the talent to carry off both painting and text... Miller's well-paced narratives reopen a lost world of navigation... Miller's paintings are beautifully rendered as they reimagine the ships according to the historical record... -- Mike Dillon City Living A handsome coffee-table book that tells the story of world exploration... Miller, a maritime artist and illustrator living in Vancouver, B.C., wrote the text and illustrated the book with almost 100 of his own beautifully detailed paintings. -- Mary Ann Gwinn The Seattle Times

Author Information

Gordon Miller is a distinguished maritime artist and illustrator living in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has received commissions from such institutions as the UBC Museum of Anthropology and the National Film Board of Canada, as well as magazines, including National Geographic. His paintings appear in collections in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver.

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