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WEAPONS OF WARRE, The Armaments of the MARY ROSE Alexandra Hildred, editor Two volumes, slipcase, 8 ½”x11”, 1006 pages, black/white and color photos, drawings. $100 + shipping/handling By 1545 the Mary Rose represented the forefront of Tudor military technology. After a number of refits, the lower gun deck carried between 16 and 18 large guns stationed at ports with the added feature of watertight fitted lids. This volume describes and discusses a vast collection of Tudor weaponry: artillery pieces together with their ammunition and gun carriages, staff and hand weapons, lime pots, long bows and arrows. This assemblage included the newest cast bronze, muzzle-loading long guns and the older wrought iron breech-loaders. This variety of guns and other armaments were designed to complement each other and present a flexible multi-layered weapons system. The 12 chapters, set in two slipcased volumes covering 1006 pages, examine in detail the weapons carried by Mary Rose, incorporating an understanding of the capabilities of the largest of these guns based on experimental manufacture of both the bronze and wrought iron guns and firing trials. The offensive and defensive capabilities are explored as a representation of the military power and performance of Henry VIII’s ships. Final chapters examine the transitional era of the Mary Rose and varying theories regarding how and why she sank. 
MARY ROSE, YOUR NOBLEST SHIPPE: ANATOMY OF A TUDOR WARSHIP Peter Marstan, editor Two volumes, slipcase, 8 ½"x11", 458 pp, 15 fold-out plans, 287 illustrations. $90 + shipping/ handling This major work, produced by the Mary Rose Trust is concerned primarily with a detailed description of the Mary Rose and how she operated as a major warship in the fleet of King Henry VII of England. Starting with a discussion of the place of Mary Rose in the development of warships, her recovery and examination are described as well as the method by which she has been reconstructed on paper. Evidence is presented for how the ship was designed and built and how her timbers were cut and placed. The structure of the ship and her rigging as she was in 1545 are described deck by deck with lots of illustrations, including reconstructed deck plans. A summary of the ship's armaments is provided, (this subject will be covered in detail in another volume) and her fighting abilities considered. Evidence for how the ship was altered during her use and how she might be reconstructed as a whole are examined. This will be of great interest to the model maker who wants to build a 15 th century ship. The narrative ends with a discussion of some important areas of research that need to be address in future years.
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