Maritime

A Light Walk
by Ian Cassells

Whilst on duty in the cramped confines of Muckle Flugga Lighthouse, Ian Cassells took to walking circuits round the lighthouse station for exercise (twelve laps to the mile). With this background, when the Northern Lighthouse Board celebrated its Bicentenary in 1986, he made the suggestion tha... more...

A Quiet Life
by Martha Robertson

From their inception and through the early years of this century, long before automation, lighthouses were manned by keepers, often with their families in residence. In the case of the Petrie family, in 1922, their number included a new arrival, Martha. Over the years Martha, or Mattie as she ... more...

A Year at the Lighthouse
by Sharma Krauskopf

Some might consider living alone at a remote North Atlantic lighthouse in Scotland's most northerly territory the Shetland Islands, a fantastic adventure and others a little bit crazy. American Sharma Krauskopf, popular speaker, well-known author and now broadcaster, did just that from May... more...

Across the Pond
by Malcolm  Archibald

An introduction to the nautical history of the North Atlantic - a seaman's view of the Atlantic crossing. For centuries the Atlantic hemmed Europe behind its storms and mysterious breadth. This was the Ocean Sea that extended to nowhere, or to the end of the world. Although there were lege... more...

Always at Sea
by Mary Wardle

Written from her father's diaries, Always at Sea recounts the exploits of William Donald who went to sea as a boy in 1912 and stayed in the Merchant Navy for almost fifty years! Over the years he proved himself a very able and entirely reliable mariner - in fact he made an outstanding mast... more...

An Illuminating Experience
by Gordon  Medlicott

Throughout the 1960s and '70s, despite having the technology to land men on the moon, some of our lighthouses were still operated by oil, not only for the main navigation light, but also in the keepers' living quarters. With some of the offshore stations lacking even the basic facilities of running ... more...

Argonauts of the Western Isles
by Robin Lloyd-Jones

The west coast of Scotland casts a spell on anyone with a taste for adventure, a feeling for the past or a love of the wild, uninhabited places. With tidal currents of awesome power running between fascinating patterns of islands, it is a challenging place for any type of small craft.
more...

Ate the Dog Yesterday
Maritime casualties, calamities and catastrophes
by Graham Faiella

The constant dangers that deep-sea sailing ships and sailors of the late 19th century and early 20th centuries faced were numerous and this book recounts the true-life dramas of their perils and misfortunes – the battles that they waged, and all too often lost – against the hazards... more...

Beyond the Harbour Lights
by Chris Mills

True stories of excitement and adventure from the time when ocean steamers plied their trade to the far-flung corners of the globe.

British ships were once to be found in every corner of the world with harbours offering a safe haven to ocean-weary ships. In the majority of cases these voyages... more...

But No Brass Funnel
by J. Douglas Stewart

Record of a varied career at sea over several decades - from Merchant Navy cadet to tanker captain.

A boyhood visit to the battleship HMS Nelson left the author with the ambition to be a midshipman in the Royal Navy and to be in charge of a steam picket-boat with a brass funnel. T... more...

Chronometer Jack
The Autobiography of the shipmaster, John Miller of Edinburgh (1802-1883)
by Robin Craig, Ann Nix, Michael Nix

From a chance acquisition of a battered leather-bound notebook, an extensive and extremely well-written narrative was revealed which recounted the life of a midshipman in the East India Company, through to the time when he owned his own vessels and settled in Tasmania.

Chronometer... more...

Doctor in the Navy
by Bill Yule

'Small ships abroad, please'

National Service, Britain's name for conscription, existed between 1945 and 1963. In that time, two and a half million men were required to serve for two years with the armed forces. For some, it was a miserable penance. For the majority, i... more...

Dynasty of Engineers
The Stevensons and the Bell Rock
by Roland Paxton

In association with Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust

The world’s oldest continuously operational rock lighthouse sits on the Bell Rock eleven miles off Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland. Its bicentenary is mark... more...

Escape to the Sea
by Mike Starke

Written by Tom 'Jack' Sullivan Green, AB of Bristol in the 1920s, Escape to the Sea is an inspiring, first-hand account of survival against the odds of an orphan boy in early Victorian England.

Recounted in a fluent style and peppered with dialogue, this gripping tale of a... more...

Fallen Pieces of the Moon
by Robin Lloyd-Jones

A kayak trip in Greenland's Nuuk fjords through an area of amazing beauty

Turreted fairytale peaks, glistening snowfields, waterfalls plunging over immense cliffs into the sea, a million tons of ice capsizing - this is the setting for Fallen Pieces of the Moon, an account of a... more...

Halcyon in the Hebrides
by Bob Orrell

To celebrate 60 years of sailing Scottish waters, the author single-handedly sailed Halcyon, a 32ft wooden yawl, from Fairlie on the Clyde, round the Mull of Kintyre by way of numerous inner islands to Barra in the Outer Hebrides and to the Atlantic side of the islands, not often visited by cr... more...

It Was Fun While It Lasted
by A. J.  Lane

A lively, at times hilarious, first-hand account of a lighthouse keeper's life in the last traditional years before the introduction of helicopter reliefs and automation.

Arthur Lane entered the Service in 1953 as a fugitive from the Birmingham branch of a large insurance comp... more...

Kirkcudbright's Prince of Denmark
and her voyages in the South Seas
by David R.  Collin

This is the story of the unusually long and interesting career of a small Scottish schooner spent primarily in the southern hemisphere. From the quest to trace her history and construction to the careers of those who owned and sailed in her during her 74-year life, the story is full of vividly... more...

Last of the Line
by Patricia Gumbrell

Now that lighthouse automation has been completed, what of the service and dedication to duty that was unfailingly provided by keepers, their associates and their families?

Last of the Line is an account of four generations of lightkeepers, the first being John Hall, the author... more...

Light over Lundy
A History of the Old Light and the Fog Signal Station
by Myrtle Ternstorm

Set atop the rocky plateau of Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, the Old Light stands proudly - a monument to the skill of its builder, Joseph Nelson. It is of a pleasing construction, both solid and graceful, and when built in 1820 it had two lights - an upper and a lower, and was the highe... more...

Lost Sounds
by Alan Renton

An intriguing history and one not to be missed. The book visits a number of lighthouses at different times over the last 130 years to reveal the philanthropic, scientific and romantic story of the fog signal - how it came about, how the machinery worked and, for the mariner and the keeper, wha... more...

Mariner's Launch
by Raymond Solly

This story chronicles the growth of a youth, from naïve 16-year-old to a mature young man, capable eventually of accepting the grave responsibilities entrusted to a watch-keeping officer on the bridge of an ocean-going ship. The reader follows his voyage escapades and sees him ambushed by... more...

Mariner's Rest
by Raymond Solly

This is the well-written account of Jonathan Carridia’s final years at sea as a senior second and chief officer. He chronicles the events that led him to leave the sea before being confirmed in a period of temporary command and relates the gruelling interview processes before being accep... more...

Mariner's Voyage
by Raymond Solly

Extract from Foreword by John F. Millican, Director, Warsash Maritime Academy, Southampton, UK
..Dr. Solly has very cleverly woven together a social history of seafaring in the post-war years... ...you discover just how well the author ... has captured the experience of being at sea. ...... more...

No More Paraffin-Oilers
by Ian Cassells

This long-awaited new edition of an established best-selling title brings the story of lighthouses in Scotland up to date now that the task of automation is finished. With many additional photographs, map and a concluding section, this book remains a must for anyone with an interest in lightho... more...

No Port in a Storm
by Bob MacAlindin

The ships of this book evoke none of the usual romantic images of ships and yet may be the noblest of all. Invariably painted a gaudy red, no other ships spent more time at sea yet sailed fewer miles, their crews compelled to scan the same water and stretch of coastline for the bulk of their w... more...

Nothing over the Side
Examining Safe Crude Oil Tankers
by Raymond Solly

This is the first recent book to lift the lid off the crude oil tanker industry and to demonstrate that, contrary to general opinion, crude oil tankers are the safest and most regulated business/industry in the world.

As an ex-supertanker navigating and deck officer, the author sa... more...

Oriental Endeavour
by Dave Creamer

As a sequel to the successful Rats, Rust and Two Old Ladies, the story of Oriental Endeavour begins when the author delivers a tugboat from Avonmouth to Buchanan in war-torn Liberia. Four years later, he is asked to command one of two tugboats for delivery from West Africa to Singapore and, de... more...

Palm Oil and Small Chop
by John Goble

Palm oil is the quintessence of West Africa – it is complex, an acquired taste and reckoned to be rather unhealthy. Small chop is the addition of ingredients that make it palatable for European taste. From the unique perspective of working aboard merchant ships trading to the area, the a... more...

Postcards from the Edge
Remote British lighthouses in vintage postcards
by Christopher Nicholson

We've been sending one another postcards for well over a century now - usually brief messages to our friends and family telling them about the weather on our holidays or where we're visiting next on our travels.

A hundred years ago we sent postcards with more serious messa... more...

Rats, Rust and Two Old Ladies
by Dave Creamer

Delivering two 38-year-old Mississippi river tugboats halfway around the world from Bahrain to Trinidad would not be every ship master's dream employment. However, for Captain David Creamer, the seven-week voyage of the Justine and Martha was not only unique, but a memorable experience he ... more...

Ray Solly trilogy
by Raymond Solly

* SPECIAL OFFER - buy the trilogy for the special price of £34.95 *

In the Ray Solly trilogy, Mariner’s Launch, Mariner’s Voyage and Mariner’s Rest, the author brings alive a li... more...

RMS St. Helena and The South Atlantic Islands
by Robert A. Wilson

A record of an idyllic way of life on the last British passenger liner

In an age that takes air transport for granted, the British colony of St. Helena does not have the luxury of an airstrip - visitors or islanders must come or go by sea. When the Union-Castle passenger/cargo shi... more...

Rock Lighthouses of Britain
by Christopher Nicholson

IN THIS NEW AND GREATLY ENHANCED EDITION of his classic book which has become the standard work on the subject, Christopher Nicholson vividly describes the construction and history to the present day of some of the world's most famous lighthouses. It brings the story of the rock lighthouse... more...

School of the Sea
by Stephen Richardson

...it is precisely the sort of record that is immensely important for enhancing our understanding of human affairs. ...The diary that has become a book reveals the light and shade of daily life, punctuated by terrifying moments. This was the real stuff of the war at sea and it has been telling... more...

Sea Like a Mirror
by Alan  Jones

Living with the sea evokes a need to write about it, whether in poems, songs or prose. This book records a life spent upon the sea, from junior cadet to captain, and some of the reflections which at lonely times in the ocean's vastness seemed to have sprung from its depth.

At ... more...

Solo Round Scotland
The first single-handed circumnavigation by boat and bike
by Alan Rankin

In April 2006 the author became the first person to single-handedly circumnavigate Scotland by boat and bike. Setting out on this ultimate adventure from Kirkcudbright on the Solway Firth, Alan sailed around Scotland on a 50-foot yacht to the north-east coast of England. After 16 exhausting da... more...

Some Strange Scent of Death
by Angela J. Elliott

Set in the Outer Hebrides in the year 1900, Some Strange Scent of Death is based on a true story - the mysterious disappearance of the Flannan Isles lighthouse keepers. One hundred years later the mystery of the dramatic disappearance endures. What exactly did happen to the keepers? Locals bel... more...

That Curious Fellow
Captain Basil Hall, RN
by James McCarthy

Son of a scientifically-minded Scottish aristocrat, Basil Hall joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13 in 1802. His first naval engagements in America and Spain during the Peninsular War are described, as are his travels in India and the Far East. His renowned interview with Napoleon, while sti... more...

The Enigmatic Sailor
by Alan Peacock

An essential further dimension to the ENIGMA story of code breaking.

The part played by code-cracking in World War II has at last been dramatically revealed in a popular film and also inspired several accounts by code-crackers and countless broadcasts.

Much less well-... more...

The George of Port Seton
by Ian Hustwick

The fascinating history of a 17th century trading vessel and its master, a unique account of shipping and trading hundreds of years ago.

The George was probably a product of the well-established shipbuilding industry in Leith, during the latter part of the seventeenth century. A w... more...

The Grey Wolves of Eriboll
by David M. Hird

The surrender of the German U-boat fleet at the end of World War II was perhaps the principal event in the war's endgame which signified to the British people that peace really had arrived. It is little known that the majority of the surrenders of U-boats on active west-European sea patrol... more...

The Victorian Naval Brigades
by A. L.  Bleby

A record of the Naval Brigades' extraordinary exploits and achievements during eleven 'Wars of the Empire' in the 19th century

There is a view that, in Victorian times, whilst the Army was engaged in a series of wars, the Navy enjoyed a peaceful existence - however, th... more...

Through Albert's Eyes
Vol. II of The British Navy at War and Peace Series editor Captain Peter Hore
by A. Bentley-Buckle

The autobiography of Tony Bentley-Buckle, a child of the Empire who was left to grow up in the care of maiden aunts. Having joined the Royal Navy before the war, he found himself on the Northern Patrol during the blockade of Germany and as a teenager in command of captured ships. When he broug... more...

To Auckland by the Ganges
The Journal of a Sea Voyage to New Zealand in 1863
by Robert M. Grogans

In 1863 there was only one method of travelling from Britain to the other side of the world by sailing ship, on a journey that could take up to four months, and when the vagaries of wind and weather could put travellers in peril during long voyages. The offer of grants of land in New Zealand w... more...

Under a Yellow Sky
A tale of the sea and coming of age
by Simon J.  Hall

Simon Hall went to sea in search of a way of life that he believed was glamorous, adventurous and disciplined, a life where smartly-uniformed men ran ships in a tightly organised manner. At this time the British fleet was still one of the largest in the world and the Red Ensign a common sight ... more...

Walking over the Waves
by Chris Foote Wood

In 2007, author and broadcaster Chris Foote Wood achieved a lifelong ambition - to visit every seaside pier in England, Wales and the Isle of Man - all 56 of them! This odyssey, plus copious research, has provided the raw material for Walking over the Waves.

In words and pictures,... more...

West Coast Support Group
Task Group 96.8, Korea 1950-1953
by M.P. Cocker

This illustrated portfolio is produced upon the 50th anniversary of cessation of hostilities and as a remembrance of the ships of Task Group 96.8. Through extensive research the author has gleaned information about the multi-national force, including numerous photographs. Ships of the Royal Na... more...

Wingfield at War
Vol. I of The British Navy at War and Peace Series editor Captain Peter Hore
by Mervyn Wingfield

 ... It is remarkable that one man should have been involved in so much action in so few years. ... I commend his biography to the reader: ... by any standard he was a hero, and he tells his life’s story with modesty and humour.more...

Wreck, Rescue and Salvage
by Dick  Jolly

A rare insight into the little-known world of deep-sea towing and marine salvage

After joining the Australian Merchant Navy at the age of sixteen, Dick Jolly trained as an engineer before joining the Australian National Line as a cadet. After a four-year apprenticeship, he gradual... more...