"Book on Oared Fighting Ships" Topic

Found this book at a garage sale.

OARED FIGHTING SHIPS by R.C.Anderson
Argus Books 1976, ISBN 0 85242 471 X, 99 pages

Though not my period, I found it very interesting; lot's of details, many photos and drawings.

Covers galleys before the trireme; the Greek trireme; quinqueremes and polyremes; liburnians; dromons; English galleys; southern galleys; Henry VIII oared men-of-war; the galleass; hybrids of 17th and 18th centuries; oared men-of-war in the Baltic.

Overall – a good reference.

Thanks for the heads up!

Anderson = good, well researched.
Rogers = inaccurate, poorly researched, avoid at all costs.

I'd agree about Anderson and add the various books by Morrision and Coates to the same category – they are better still.

Rogers – I think it a bit unfair to compare his work with that of the other authors on the technical aspects of galley warfare. Research on the subject was in its very early stages when his books were written and few people with any real knowledge of shipbuilding or engineering had become interested in the subject at that time.

As a resource for the actual galley designs Rogers is way out of date but his descriptions of the battles and campaigns are still worth a read and contain some stuff that later authors have not covered much.

I would not avoid Rogers' books but I would advise caution on accepting conclusions drawn in them.

Admiral Rogers books are still worth reading. You do need to be aware that the Ancient one pre-dates most modern work on how ancient galleys were built and manned but much else is very well researched.

I like Anderson's book, particularly the coverage of the Baltic wars. Though his work on English galleys needs updated.