IMHA

Abstract

It was Alexander von Humboldt who formally articulated that the compass, invented by the Chinese, had been introduced to Europe via the Arab world. Humboldt argued that the compass was introduced to Europe from the East after its use had become general throughout the Indian Seas and the coasts of Persia and Arabia in Book II of Cosmos in 1847. Before Humboldt’s time in Europe, there were various claims regarding the origin of the compass — some asserting that it came from China, others from Germany, and still others that the European mariner’s compass had been transmitted to China. However, owing to Humboldt’s reputation and academic influence, the claim that the Chinese compass had been transmitted to Europe via the Arabs became widespread. Considering the fact that the floating needle, a kind of compass, was used for sailing around 1100 in China, 1187 in Europe and 1242 in the Arab world, respectively, and many mistakes were implied in Humboldt’s claim, the view that the Chinese-invented compass was introduced to Europe through Arabic people is not supported by historical facts. By critically reviewing the validity of Humboldt’s opinion, this article proposes an alternative synthesis: the development of direction-finding devices appears not to follow a unilinear chain of diffusion but to reflect cross-civilizational references and partial independence.

Read the Article via the following link https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08438714251391503

More articles and book reviews can be found via the follow link https://journals.sagepub.com/home/IJH

Figure 1. A Zhinan (Sinan).

Source. Zhenduo Wang, ‘The Invention of Magnetic Needle and Compass in Ancient China’, Wenwu (文物), 3 (1978), 54. as used in A critical review of Alexander von Humboldt’s argument on the Chinese origin of the compass by S. June Kim and Minhyeok Heo (2025)

Read in the August issue of the IJMH (requires subscription) the article by Wendy Cadge, Nelson Turgo and Helen Sampson: “The changing shape of support in the work of port chaplains”

This article draws on historical and ethnographic data from port chaplains working with the Mission to Seamen/Seafarers in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and 2010s to chart a shift in the shape of that work. Relationships with seafarers are at the core of the work in both decades. This work is described through individual support for seafarers, work around death, support for community-building, and religious gatherings and events. While there is evidence for each of these components of the work in each decade, there is a clear shift in the shape of pastoral or caring work, which became more individualized and practically oriented over time. This shift likely results from automation and shorter turnaround times for vessels, as well as changes in the spiritual and religious identities of seafarers and port chaplains.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08438714251355687

Read in the August issue of the IJMH (requires subscription) the review by Tim Benbow of The Crisis of British Sea Power: The Collapse of a Naval Hegemon 1942 by James Levy

This work is a close examination of the conditions surrounding and precipitating the last gasp of British naval hegemony and events that led to its demise.

Great Britain undertook a massive naval building program in the late-1930s in order to deter aggression and secure dominance at sea against her nascent enemies, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. But the failure of the policy of Appeasement to deter war or delay it into the early 1940s left the building program only partially complete, and the exigencies of war led to the cancellation of the critical but costly and time-consuming “Lion” class battleships, and the slow delivery of the “1940 battlecruiser” (HMS Vanguard) and two vital fleet carriers. Adding to these issues, the fall of France spurred the USA to initiate her own, even larger, naval building program, and together with the entry of the powerful and capable Imperial Japanese Navy completely overwhelmed Britain’s position as the world’s premier naval power.

This book will be of value to those interested in the history of the Second World War, British strategy, and the British navy.

The Crisis of British Sea Power: The Collapse of a Naval Hegemon 1942

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08438714251355580

Read in the August issue of the IJMH (requires subscription) the review by Lewis Wade of Le trafic dunkerquois au XVIIIe siècle (1729–1792) by Christian Pfister-Langanay

Dunkirk is well known to historians and the general public as the capital of privateers, with its namesake hero Jean Bart. In the Spanish era, however, the Armada of Flanders and its privateers won successes just as considerable—if not greater—than those of the Northern Squadron under the Sun King. One forgets that the Flemish port, after the demolition of its facilities in 1713, had a hard time finding its way back to peaceful trade over the course of the eighteenth century.

Dunkirk’s maritime trade experienced spectacular growth, and its maritime reach extended across all the seas of the world. The leave registers kept by the Admiralty and the reports of annual accounts make it possible to examine Dunkirk’s navigation. Even more interesting are the pilotage reservation registers kept by the sailors themselves, which detail the port’s arrivals and departures in a French phonetic transcription of a whole series of idioms, from Scandinavian to the French these Flemings had not yet mastered.

This work collects—and above all, synthesizes in a uniform manner—all these data. More than 32,000 ship departures are classified according to their origin and destination, and recorded across more than 730 ports. To this day, it is the best statistical coverage available for a French port of the eighteenth century.

Revue du Nord n° Hors-série 48. Le trafic dunkerquois au XVIIIe siècle (1729-1792)

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08438714251355568

Read in the August issue of the IJMH (requires subscription) the review by William M. McBride of The Navy of the 21st Century, 2001–2022 by Paul H. Silverstone

The Navy of the 21st Century, 2001– 2022 presents an all- inclusive listing of the ships that have served in the US Navy since the start of the new century.

The newest and sixth volume of the US Navy Warship Series provides insight into the technological innovations and modern weaponry featured in newer naval vessels, as well as controversies over the naming conventions of ships over past decades. The text contains specifications and illustrations for all the ships and submarines that have helped the US maintain the world’s largest and most powerful navy to the present day. Many new developments have occurred during this period, and several new types of ships have emerged. The book includes latest developments such as the unmanned seagoing drones, as well as those now under construction or projected. Ships of other government departments, such as the Coast Guard, NOAA, and the Army, that would be used in conjunction with the Navy, are also highlighted.

This is an essential reference volume for scholars and institutions specializing in American military history, policy, and strategy.

https://www.routledge.com/The-Navy-of-the-21st-Century-2001-2022/Silverstone/p/book/9780367407865?srsltid=AfmBOopMRWSvkwd1s8b0q5KJsbm2Q9nTRAHEC-H0nWbp9LBfTE42Po4j

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08438714251355542

Read in the August issue of the IJMH (requires subscription) the review by Andrew Linington of Sea-Time: An Ethnographic Adventure by Helen Sampson

This book is an ethnography that draws upon 25 years of qualitative research and shipboard fieldwork in the merchant cargo shipping sector. It explores the lives and work of seafarers and how these have changed over time. Change over time and the experience of time on board are organising themes throughout the text. They are contextualised with accounts of transformation in the regulation of the shipping industry and technological innovation.

The book begins with a unique account of a voyage on a container ship. In this, the author details both the research process and the daily activities and shared thoughts of the seafarers who are on board. The narrative is further enhanced with illustrative examples taken from other voyages to illustrate continuities and change over time.

The book will be of value to individuals, scholars, and researchers interested in ethnography of all kinds. Sociologists, anthropologists, maritime studies students, seafarers, ship operators and policy makers will find the text engaging and revealing. It provides a vivid account that will appeal to academics interested in the study of work, workplace change and time. It is accessibly written and will be enjoyed by readers interested in the contemporary shipping industry, and the life and work of seafarers.

https://www.routledge.com/Sea-Time-An-Ethnographic-Adventure/Sampson/p/book/9781032576060?srsltid=AfmBOoqmyEDc8F1NF2wDNSxUh5NGTbZIwKeVQ7bIRSdXMFRYAL7QeCoW

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08438714251355566