From the Stone Age to the present day, no technology has had a more profound impact on mankind than watercraft. Boats and ships made possible the settlement and conquest of new worlds. They determined the victors of history-changing wars and aided the spread of new philosophies, technologies, and religions. Even today, virtually everything we purchase and consume—from petroleum and consumer electronics to the clothes we wear and much of the food we eat—depends upon seaborne trade.

Fifty Ships that Changed the Course of History is more than just a delight for lovers of the sea—it’s a virtual history of the world told through the boats and ships that influenced how and where people lived, with whom they traded, the ideas they exchanged, and how they won and lost the battles that set the course of later generations and millennia. Fifty Ships that Changed the Course of History contains not only maritime marvels from ages past, but also some of the most iconic Australian and New Zealand watercraft. Included are the likes of Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour and Greenpeace’s once flagship Rainbow Warrior. Beautifully illustrated with historic artwork and modern photography, it’s also a guide to how men and women went to sea or down the river in every age and place.

Ian Graham is a British author of popular science, technology, and history books. After taking a degree in applied physics and a postgraduate diploma in journalism at City University, London, he worked as a writer and editor in magazines before making the switch to books. He has worked as a freelance writer for more than 35 years. In that time, he has written and co-written more than 200 books on a wide range of topics including space exploration, aviation, transport, energy, communications, inventions, and military technology. He has also written crime fiction and graphic novels re-telling classic tales. He was the joint winner of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize and shortlisted for the Educational Writers’ Award.