A bargain from Baggins Book Bazaar in Rochester

Yesterday, Sue and I planned to drive to Deal to have a further look around the area and to have lunch, but a check of the local weather forecast indicated that it was likely to be cold and wet, so we changed our plans and went to Stroud and Rochester instead.

After doing some shopping in Stroud we crossed the Rochester bridge and parked in the centre of Rochester. Sue and I then went for a walk along the High Street, passing the Huguenot Hospital and Museum and the Cathedral as we did. After eating lunch in the local branch of Pizza Express, we paid a visit to Baggins Book Bazaar … where I was able to buy a copy of D K Brown’s BEFORE THE IRONCLAD: DEVELOPMENT OF SHIP DESIGN, PROPULSION AND ARMAMENT IN THE ROYAL NAVY, 1825-60.

The copy I bought was in excellent condition and cost me £20.00 (when it was published, the price was (£30.00) and has a library quality dustcover.

The book has fourteen chapters and fourteen appendices:

Chapters:

1. Victory 1793-1815
2. Science, Seppings and the School
3. Resources, Money and Men
4. Swansong
5. Steam
6. Paddle Fighting Ships
7. Iron Ships
8. Condemnation of Iron Ships
9. Screw Propulsions
10. HMS Rattler and Other Early Screw Ships
11. The Screw Fleet
12. The War with Russia
13. The Last Wooden Ships
14. Warrior

Appendices:

1. Horsepower
2.  The Work of Colonel Beaufoy
3. Cost
4. Building Programme, Sailing Ships
5. The Design of Wooden Warships
6. A Note on the Strength of the Nemesis
7.  Fouling and Corrosion
8. Notes from Dupuy de Lôme
9. Strength of Wood and Iron
10. A Technical Note on the Rattler and Alecto Trials
11. The Battle of Eckenfjorde 1849
12. The Gun Boat Builders
13. The Attack on Kronstadt
14. Notes on Individual Dockyards

This book was the only one of D K Brown's series about the development and design of ships that I did not own and finding such a good copy was a real bonus to what what a great day out.

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BEFORE THE IRONCLAD: DEVELOPMENT OF SHIP DESIGN, PROPULSION AND ARMAMENT IN THE ROYAL NAVY, 1825-60 was written by D K Brown and published in 1990 by Conway Maritime Press Limited (ISBN 0 85177 532 2).

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David K Brown was born in Leeds in 1928. He became a member of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors and by the end of his career in 1988 he was the Deputy Chief Naval Architect. He then became a fulltime writer and book editor, specialising in books and articles about the technical development of warships in the Royal Navy. He died in Bath, Somerset, on 15th April 2008.