Reaching Back into prehistory and the earliest evidence provided by archaeology, this volume explores the varied lines of developement from the most primitive watercraft to the first real sea-going ships. The floats, refts and dugouts of the pre-Bronze age period are followed by early planked boats and the increasingly sophisticated constructions of Celtic and Norse cultures. In the Mediterranean the evolution of the sailing ship becomes seperated from that of the oared vessel, and non-European developments in the Near and Far East are also covered, based largely on recent archaeological investigation. 143 pages H/B