Michael Baizerman Author

 The introduction to my third project, "The Fright and Frill of Navigation," focuses on the main topic of discourse: the two watercraft brands plying the waters of the medieval and renaissance Mediterranean. It is impossible to start covering the subject without preliminary notes about similarities and distinctions between the galley and the round ship.  My introduction embraces three aspects--the galley, the round ship, comparing and contrast--and ends with the reappraisal, reinforcing the primary outcomes. Since I am still waiting to be ready to upload the paper on my website yet (see my website https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael), I will present its outline.  A: The Galley a. The two brands b. The galley’s performance c. Low freeboard d. Propulsion e. Choppy seas f. Hugging the coast g. Wintering h. Provisioning B: The Round Ship a.        Propulsion b.        Lack of wind c.   ...

  I continue uploading chapters from my second book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East," on Academia. The latest contribution is John of Plano Carpini. https://www.academia.edu/92996408/John_of_Plano_Carpini_docx The paper follows the traces of one of the first European medieval travelers to the Far East. The Franciscan monk returned, having endured painful hardships, to tell a fascinating story about the Mongols' habits and mores. He also provided food for thought for the imminent threat of a military assault against Western Europe and advocated for European mutual security. Tags: John of Plano Carpini, Pope Innocent, Great Khan Guyuk. My work on the third project, "The Fright and Thrill of Navigation," is in full swing. I have recently finished updating the drafts of the two initial chapters, The Galley vs. the Round Ship and The Early Light Galleys.  The outline of Chapter 1 remained more or less the same, comprising six parts:  The Galley ( Landlubber,...

I have just started a discussion on my latest paper  https://www.academia.edu/82514995/The_Mysterious_Letter This chapter from my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East," continues the exploration of the popular character (Prester John) and his impact on multiple fans worldwide. I invite you to take part in the debates.  In the abstract, I wrote: " The mysterious letter penned by the elusive potentate, Prester John, became the talk of several European royal courts. The writer invited heads of state to visit his fascinating country abounding with marvels and wonders. The audience was divided between enchantment and skepticism, leaving nobody lukewarm".  Meanwhile, I devoted much time to developing my current topic: the evolution of war galleys in the medieval and renaissance Mediterranean. I think I have found a reference point, the Byzantine fleet, especially its ebb and flow between the sixth and the eleventh centuries.    The rise of the Italian fleets...

 Chapter 1 of my third manuscript, " The Fright and Thrill of Navigation:  Seafaring in the Medieval and the Renaissance Mediterranean", is over. At least, its the first draft. I have erased most of the obvious errors with the aid of Grammarly. I am considering hiring its Premium version to become a better writer.  This chapter compares and contrasts the two medieval and renaissance watercraft types in the Mediterranean considering their functions, navigation, and more. I also added about 60 notes and two illustrations:   The first is a  fourteenth-century lateen-rigged Byzantine galley, whereas the second is  a ninth-century Byzantine ship sporting a settee sail.  The paper needs time to "dry up". It might endure some further corrections and require a fresh look. Meanwhile, I have started collecting material for the second chapter. It will focus on warships and comprise several parts. For example, the development of gunpowder ordnance on board. 

 T he maiden chapter of a new project is nearly over. I will carry out the content editing at a later stage. Yet, I need to review the vocabulary section created for the extract to fish for novel ideas.  The chapter gives a general idea of medieval shipping in the Mediterranean by depicting two broad types of watercraft. Even at this initial stage, I make use of contemporary travelogues written mostly by landlubbers. Besides galleys and round ships, I will speak about the main developments in the construction of ships and the sailors' diet.  In the coming week, I am planning to revise an old article, The Ten Tribes and Other Monsters, from Unit IV of my second project, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". Authorhouse UK is preparing this manuscript for publication. I wrote a few more letters asking for reusing of photos as book illustrations but meanwhile received only three positive replies. I hope that in some other cases the images do not require copyright permiss...

The image of the Byzantine dromon from the Naval Encyclopedia https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/medieval-ships/ The second chapter of my new project is titled The Galley. It tells a fascinating story of the medieval watercraft and focuses on the rowing fleet in terms of its function and service.  You can read the entire extract at my page on Scriggler: scriggler.com/Profile/michael_baizerman More chapters are about to appear but I will limit myself as my main workload is transferred to my second book, The Enchanting Encounter with the East. I have already written about 90 percent of the draft copy and is now doing additional research on medieval travelers to the East and their accounts of the weird and wonderful world that had been hidden from European intellectuals and was worth strenuous efforts to be unveiled. 

Image 1: The Byzantine galleys crash into the Rus’ ships, repelling the latter’s charge on Constantinople http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Byzantine_navy Image 2: Lady Washington, a modern replica of the historic 90-ton brig https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Washington My new update will be a chapter from the third manuscript which is going to focus on the opening of the sea route from Portugal to India.  I discuss the benefits of the two main types of medieval European vessels: the galley and the sailing ships. The watercraft are compared in view of their water courses, destinations, the frequency of harbor visits, the sailing season, and the number of the crew.  This is the extract from the article published at my author's page on Scriggler https://scriggler.com/MyStuff You can also read the other pieces from my collection, sharing your interest with a growing community of 22 K readers.  Dozens of marine graffiti scratched on the walls of a...