From the mid-17th century, the Navy's administrators began to commission models of their ships that were accurately detailed and, for the first time, systematically to scale. Exquisitely crafted, these were always rare and highly prized objects and today they are widely regarded as the acme of the ship modeler's art. As benefits its subject, Navy Board Ship Models is visually striking, with numerous color photographs that make it attractive and informative to anyone with an interest in model making or historic ships.