Port Through Time, A

This latest book in the ‘Through Time’ series uses large, landscape illustrations to tell the story of an imagined port over ten thousand years. It begins with a Stone-Age settlement in a natural harbour and then shows how this develops in twelve steps through Roman, Medieval stages and then into more modern times. Finally we see the port as it would be today, transformed by international trading companies and with a new marina to provide for modern leisure demands. This clear global organization means teachers and children would be able to use the book to support many different topics in history lessons.

The physical condition of the port itself in each era is well explained; while the purposes remain the same the physical structures are transformed through time and technology. We also learn about the people who worked and lived there; food, amusements, clothes and mishaps are all placed in context. The wonderfully detailed panoramic pictures are consistently well labelled and annotated; The Fun of the Fair era (c.1450) pictures the many traders in the port with their stalls and goods, and labels tell us that the tapestries are Flemish and the fur coats are from Sweden.

Each section homes in on a particular time but we never lose sight of the ‘big shapes’ of history: the impact of war, trade, invention and industrialization. Young readers also learn that trends and ‘progress’ benefit some but bring hardship for others. The Price of Profit (c.1770) draws attention to the wealth accumulated by merchants and gentry benefiting from increased trade and the growth of colonies in the East and New World. But it is made clear in telling pictorial glimpses that oppression by press gangs and an increase in crime leads to misery for many.

Enormous research and much thought has gone into the creation of this book. It manages to be informative, fascinating and deeply interesting – one of those books adults and children would enjoy sharing. It is quite simply inspirational.