What do you think?
Rate this book
Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections
Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Man-of-War
Look inside an 18th-century warship as it sails into battle on the high seas. Packed with extraordinary illustrations, this history book for children covers everything from warship design to navigation.
Biesty's incredible drawings slice through a man-of-war to explore every corner, from the crow's nest to the stinking hold. Packed with fascinating facts and gory details, the pages teem with sailors busy about their duties. Find out how gun crews fired a cannon, examine a surgeon's toolkit, and learn the best way to wriggle the maggots out of the ship's biscuits. Look out, too, for the stowaway on every page. He's the one with spiky hair and there's a reward for his capture!
This absorbing book will have children - and adults - poring over every page. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Man-of-War remains as entertaining as ever.
Biesty's incredible drawings slice through a man-of-war to explore every corner, from the crow's nest to the stinking hold. Packed with fascinating facts and gory details, the pages teem with sailors busy about their duties. Find out how gun crews fired a cannon, examine a surgeon's toolkit, and learn the best way to wriggle the maggots out of the ship's biscuits. Look out, too, for the stowaway on every page. He's the one with spiky hair and there's a reward for his capture!
This absorbing book will have children - and adults - poring over every page. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Man-of-War remains as entertaining as ever.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1990
8 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Biesty
50 books62 followersStephen Biesty is the creator of Stephen Biesty’s Incredible Cross-Sections, which has sold more than a million copies worldwide since its publication in 1992. He lives in Somerset, England.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 30, 2018
Don't tell my husband I read this! *lol*
I bought it for his birthday and he was so enthusiastic that I got curious and decided to take a peek.
Well, that peek turned into actually reading the book and I really liked it!
I know, I know, I kind of teased my hubby about "Man-Of-War" and said it's sort of a children's book (which I suppose it could be *lol*) but this book is really nice! =))
All the effort and details that were put into it and especially the black humour you find in every corner made this a really enjoyable read. The best thing about it was the wanted poster of the stowaway. XD If you pay close attention to the pages you can find him everywhere. ;-P
He's the running gag of the book and it was hilarious!
And now I have to stop this review, or my hubby will know I wrote it. I'm typing this with him in the same room and he has no clue. *lol*
Psst!!! ;-P
I bought it for his birthday and he was so enthusiastic that I got curious and decided to take a peek.
Well, that peek turned into actually reading the book and I really liked it!
I know, I know, I kind of teased my hubby about "Man-Of-War" and said it's sort of a children's book (which I suppose it could be *lol*) but this book is really nice! =))
All the effort and details that were put into it and especially the black humour you find in every corner made this a really enjoyable read. The best thing about it was the wanted poster of the stowaway. XD If you pay close attention to the pages you can find him everywhere. ;-P
He's the running gag of the book and it was hilarious!
And now I have to stop this review, or my hubby will know I wrote it. I'm typing this with him in the same room and he has no clue. *lol*
Psst!!! ;-P
May 13, 2015
Aunque esté orientado a lectores más jóvenes, es muy visual e informativo y puede interesar a cualquier público. Se trata de secciones transversales de in barco de guerra de la época de Nelson que permiten ver cómo estaba estructurado y qué pasaba dentro.
February 1, 2014
A grim and graphic tale of survival and privation on the high seas. Delightfully illustrated.
April 2, 2016
My Grade = 93% - A
Another Thrift Shop find.....
This is, as said, cross-sections drawings (and cross throughs) of many aspects of the Man of War. Some pages include officer quarters, eating, sleeping, setting sail, provisions, personnel, etc and it is unbelievably ornate, complicated, and detailed,
I almost imagined this might have been a children's book, but I believe this idea was belayed by the graphic drawings of injuries, amputations, tubs of amputated arms and legs etc.
There are many other books in this series, including Castle, Submarine, and just plain Cross-Sections. This was a very informative and interesting read.
I had absolutely no idea that so many people were crammed for so long in what appears to be such a tiny ship - all hand made of wood.
Another Thrift Shop find.....
This is, as said, cross-sections drawings (and cross throughs) of many aspects of the Man of War. Some pages include officer quarters, eating, sleeping, setting sail, provisions, personnel, etc and it is unbelievably ornate, complicated, and detailed,
I almost imagined this might have been a children's book, but I believe this idea was belayed by the graphic drawings of injuries, amputations, tubs of amputated arms and legs etc.
There are many other books in this series, including Castle, Submarine, and just plain Cross-Sections. This was a very informative and interesting read.
I had absolutely no idea that so many people were crammed for so long in what appears to be such a tiny ship - all hand made of wood.
December 26, 2023
This has sat on my bookshelves for several years, partly as a homage to my sons loving these books when they were children and I only pulled it out during a clean-out. I was attracted to the intricacies of the drawings but the text was fantastic! Such a thorough accounting of all the details of the harsh life aboard a Man-of -War sailing ship. Amazing to discover how many phrases we use in the English language today have naval origins. A great read - thoroughly enjoyable for kids and adults alike.
January 28, 2024
I was surprised to see a lot of people working on the boat and it was quite densely populated.
People sleep in the hammock at night, so it would have been quite bumpy and hard to sleep when the rough seas came in.
People sleep in the hammock at night, so it would have been quite bumpy and hard to sleep when the rough seas came in.
March 15, 2018
An incredibly joyous and beautifully illustrated work, worthy of its large format.
July 6, 2019
Great book, not only for children but for adults too. It's packed with information and stunning illustrations. I learned a lot from this book.
August 1, 2020
A picture is worth a thousand words
October 30, 2020
I loved this so much I actually bought a hard copy for a nephew.
March 31, 2024
If you’re reading the Patrick O’Brian novels, it’s a great way to visualize the man of war in the age of sail. It also helps simplify some of the basics of shipboard life in that time.
October 19, 2024
Excellent! The detail is astounding.
Read
May 22, 2025I'm mostly keeping as a good basic visual reference.
May 26, 2016
I had forgotten all about Stephen Biesty's cross-section books until recently but I'm glad I stumbled back over them. They are incredibly detailed and have a lot of fun information and facts that kids will love learning about. I'm just sad that most of his books are so old that the public library's do not have copies on-hand anymore. Considering the size of the pages, it is easy to see how a well-loved book like one of Biesty's cross-sections would not have made it this long over time in the hands of children. We need more copies in print so that the library can replenish its copies and kids can keep enjoying them!
June 18, 2016
Where's Waldo(/Wally)-sized characters, including this one scamp who's dropping a deuce on another sailor's head from a higher deck. What child would not adore such droll scatology? Frightening bit in the surgeon's area, with the in-process amputation and bucket stuck full of discarded, sawn off limbs. Very educational about the golden years of British Navy and a sailor's life, and the facts felt as fun as the illustrations. I adored it as a boy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2011
I have to say, when it comes to sheer efficiency this is one of the greatest I have ever seen. By this I mean, if the purpose of a book is to get knowledge from one head to another, Biesty does a better job of getting more across on an extremely difficult topic than almost anyone I've ever read.
September 12, 2009
Fun large pictures of a man o' war ship. Very helpfull in all the nautical books that I read.
July 25, 2011
A fun and enjoyable reading. Prepared for young people, there is very little text.
February 21, 2016
I love these books. I know they are made for kids but they are so visually stunning. Every time I pic one up I learn new things. Highly recommended
February 11, 2016
Really great description!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews