Breverton's Nautical Curiosities by Terry Breverton

[Globe Pequot Publishing] Breverton's Nautical Curiosities is arranged into thematic chapters: 1) 1) The ocean environment – animals, geography, geology, weather, coasts, islands 2) 2) Ship types and parts – from the first boat to the latest cutting-edge technology 1) 3) People – heroes, heroines, pirates, sailors, captains 2) 4) Disasters, battles, wars 3) 5) Literature – stories, myths, legends, proclamations, acts, orders 4) 6) Nautical sayings and slang Breverton's Nautical Curiosities is about ships, people and the sea. However, unlike many other nautical compendiums, the focus of this book is on the unusual, the overlooked or the downright extraordinary. Thus, someone most of us do not know, Admiral William Brown, is given equal coverage to Admiral Nelson. Without Admiral Brown releasing Garibaldi, modern Italy might not exist. And without the barely known genius John Ericsson designing the Monitor, the Confederacy might have won the American Civil War.