Mastery of the sea has been crucial in the quest for power and riches; the transition from the medieval to the modern world was marked by the emergence of European ships from their home waters out into the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. In their maps and charts the maritime nations have left a unique visual record of their response to the challenge of the sea. This book traces the history of the charts, not as technical documents, but as eloquent witnesses to the discovery of the world beyond Europe, and to man's evolving knowledge of the oceans. The charts employed a vivid artistic idiom which expressed man's passionate feeling for the sea: the gilded compasses, the nightmarish sea-creatures, the stately ships, the royal crests - all these were fused into a minor art form which flourished for four centuries. This book presents some of the riches of Europe's chart tradition, together with narrative which summarizes the vital role of sea power in history.