Three Centuries of Seafaring: The Maritime Art of Paul Hee

Great moments in seafaring history as depicted by internationally known maritime artist Paul Hee are collected in a handsome new art book, Three Centuries of Seafaring: The Maritime Art of Paul Hee. Old salts and armchair sailors alike--anyone who loves the sea and ships--will delight in this glossy art book, which features more than 150 color images of Mr. Hee s artful works in signature painstaking detail. Scenes range from battles at sea and famous shipwrecks to yacht races and peaceful harbors. Hee, master of past masters, documents not only moments in maritime history but also the artistic styles of three centuries of painters whose work depicts American and British ships of their day, from topsail schooners to the White Squadron. A significant portion of book sales benefit the North Carolina Maritime Museum. The book is available in two formats--hardbound with glossy dust jacket ($49.95); and a signed, numbered slip-cased hardcover keepsake, commemorating the 300th anniversary of the 1709 founding of Beaufort, NC, ($79.95), home of Mr. Hee and of the museum. The book includes a scholarly introduction by Paul Fontenoy, North Carolina Maritime Museum curator and art historian, and historical vignettes researched and written by Rick and Marcie Carroll of Fish Towne Press. Many images in the book, like the epic Battle of Trafalgar, reflect works from private collections from New York to London. Beaufort s own storied port history is captured in works such as Queen Anne's Revenge Sinks in 1718 (Blackbeard's ship) and CSS Nashville Runs Union Blockade. These scenes, along with portraits of Otway Burns' Snap Dragon, George Ive's Sharpie, and Maris, the swift sloop of Charleston's Carolina Yacht Club, are part of the Carolinas chapter, which showcases famous ships and historic seafaring events off the southeast Atlantic coast.