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In French
ELEMENTARY AND PRACTICAL
INSTRUCTION ON SHIPBUILDING is of
primary importance for knowledge of naval
shipbuilding at the end of the 18th century.
Written and published in 1771 on the orders of the
Secretary of State, de BOYNES, for the education of
the Naval Guards, it was economically edited
without illustrations and sparsely printed. Its
goal was to familiarize future officers with the
praxis of naval architecture. The author presents
the work as the practical continuation of Duhamel
du Monceau's theoretical studies (1752) to which he
refers explicitly. A highly rare and important
volume, this manual is the first work to describe
routine building activities in the yards
realistically in the 18th century. The absence of
illustrations is perforce compensated by the clear
and precise nature of the text. Duranti informs us
that in their schools, his students "have small
models of ships that may easily be assembled and
disassembled," and that it is useful for them "to
go, with their manual in hand, into the
shipbuilding yards."
This book vividly recreates everyday life in the
shipyards and was highly appreciated by its
contemporaries, notably Vial du Clairbois, who
often cited it as a source in his ENCYCLOPEDIE
METHODIQUE MARINE. In a nutshell this reference
speaks eloquently to the degree of interest this
work holds for us.
Until we undertook the reedition of this work, it
was only to be found in a few of the large French
naval libraries. We wish to thank our friend Jean
Polak for bringing it to our attention and making
its publication possible.
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