Ships' figureheads : famous carving families /Andrew Peters

"Written by a professional ship's carver who has restored many figureheads, this book reveals the skills and stories behind the profession and some of the primary families - the Hellyers and the Dickersons - back to the 18th century. The Hellyer family carved over 350 figureheads for the Royal Navy plus many for merchant yards while the smaller Dickerson family carved over 220 figures. Ships' Figureheads reveals information about these and other carving families, providing a socio-historic account of the times and in so doing an insight into the world they inhabited, with an in-depth practical knowledge of their work."