The emphasis of the book, therefore, is on the sea itself, the ships which travelled it, and the men who sailed them. The new perspectives here offered are both multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary, and reflect the state of the art in current research, much of which has not been previously available in English. The book aims to open up the subject to English-speaking readers, in particular to those interested in maritime history; the history of the early modern world; and the historiographical legacy of Fernand Braudel. --Book Jacket.