Ships and Shipping in the North Sea and Atlantic, 1400-1800

This is a collection of articles that examine the technical changes in shipbuilding, as well as new practices in shipping and fishing, from the late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution. The text seeks to show how these changes transformed the European economy and affected the relationship between the economy and governments, and to portray the change - which was most dramatic in the Dutch Republic - as part of a general European phenomenon. The studies also investigate the causes behind the changes, the effects of improvements in ships on patterns of trade and the behaviour of public authorities.