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The album book “Traditional boats of the world” published by Gallimard Editions for the first time in 1997, retraces the author’s long and complicated journey. On its publication the book won the Marine Academy Prize.

The Marine Academy Prize 1997
Editions Gallimard
Collection Voiles-Gallimard
175 pages
First edition 1997

Back cover

“From captain of an enterprise Louis George-Batier becomes a deep-sea captain and sets sail with his whole family on a 15 metre boat the Pierre-Louis.

During his long and complicated journey which was to last almost 20 years over the oceans of the globe, he decides to paint all the traditional boats he encountered. A true testimony of a heritage slowly becoming extinct, alongside the quay, or at anchor, at sea or at rest pulled up on the beach, the reader discovers these 210 traditional boats which unfold one after the other as one large water painting fresco: Feluccas, Portuguese fishing boats, molicieros, jangades, gum-tree boats, sampans, small Arab sailing boats, coasting vessels and other junks, fishing boats or dug out canoes.

The captions under each painting provide all the characteristics, the origin and diverse uses of each boat.

Louis George-Batier also brought back with him from this long voyage numerous anecdotes – surprising, often enlightening, and sometimes picturesque which he relates at the end of the book.”