If you are a fan of naval fiction from the British Age of Sail---i.e. the subtitle : "Life in Nelson's Navy"---you should read this book. It covers many of the basic terms of that age and goes so far as to even list the salaries and the percentages awarded as prize money. My only complaint is that it didn't go far enough and explain more. But thank God I wasn't serving in that Navy. I can't imagine having to memorize the name of every mast, sail and line, and this book only covered the main ones.
