With 2014 marking the tercentenary of the Longitude Act, this eloquent celebration of the sextant tells the story of this elegant instrument and explores its vital role in man's attempts to map the world.
WINNER OF THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE 2020A SUNDAY TIMES, FINANCIAL TIMES, THE TIMES AND BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEARFor most of human history, the seas and oceans have been the main means of long-distance trade and communication between peoples - for the spread of ideas and religion as well as commerce.
For centuries British navigators dreamt of finding the Northwest Passage - the route over the top of North America that would open up the fabulous wealth of Asia to British merchants.
The third novel from the acclaimed author of The Pied Piper's Poison and The Resurrection ClubLeaving behind a dowdy northern winter for the warming delights of the French Riviera, Martin and his three student friends soon find their feet, turning a tidy profit as beach-bum salesmen and taking to the joys of life by the Mediterranean with relish.
For viewers of BBC One's 'Britain and the Sea', 'Leviathan' is a must-read; overturning long-held beliefs about our ancestry and weaving together the disparate strands that made the fabric of the Empire.
Lifeboats occupy a particular place in people's hearts as unpaid volunteers regularly take to their boats often in extremely adverse conditions to rescue others from the sea.
The bestselling author of The Endurance reveals the startling truth behind the legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty - the most famous sea story of all time.
From one of Britain's best-loved literary novelists comes a magical, lyrical tale of the young orphan Silver, taken in by the ancient lighthousekeeper Mr.
The story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart boat race - the most dramatic in yacht racing historyThe waters between Sydney and Hobart are famously treacherous.
The epic true-life story of one of the most notorious maritime disasters of the nineteenth century - and inspiration for 'Moby-Dick' - reissued to accompany a major motion picture due for release in December 2015, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker and Cillian Murphy.
A lively and authoritative investigation into the lives of our ancestors, based on the revolution in the field of Bronze Age archaeology which has been taking place in Norfolk and the Fenlands over the last twenty years, and in which the author has played a central role.
The epic life story of the Atlantic Ocean from the bestselling author, Simon WinchesterIn a narrative tour de force, Simon Winchester dramatises the life story of the Atlantic Ocean, from its birth in the farther recesses of geological time to its eventual extinction millions of years in the future.
The worst storm in history seen from the wheelhouse of a doomed fishing trawler; a mesmerisingly vivid account of a natural hell from a perspective that offers no escape.
An enchanting tale of travels among South East Asia's Sea Gypsies, scattered groups of semi-nomadic fisher people who occupy the spaces between the islands.
From the best-selling author of THE DINOSAUR HUNTERS and THE LOST KING OF FRANCE comes the story of how our modern world was forged - in rivets, grease and steam; in blood, sweat and human imagination.
Nathaniel Philbrick, bestselling author of 'In the Heart of the Sea', reveals the darker side of the Pilgrim fathers' settlement in the New World, which ultimately erupted in bloody battle some fifty years after they first landed on American soil.
Through the lives of three outstanding naval officers - each considered the most brilliant commander of his generation - David Crane offers a unique portrait of the Royal Navy at a time when it held unchallenged dominion over the world's oceans.
From the bestselling author of 'The Lighthouse Stevensons', a gripping history of the drama and danger of wrecking since the 18th-century - and the often grisly ingenuity of British wreckers, scavengers of the sea.
A gripping history of the Mediterranean campaigns from the first rumblings of conflict through the Second World War and into the uneasy peace of the late 1940s.
A gripping account of the epic hunt for Hitler's most terrifying battleship - the legendary Tirpitz - and the brave men who risked their lives to attack and destroy this most potent symbol of the Nazi's fearsome war machine.
Marking the centenary of the Titanic disaster, 'Titanic Lives' is an utterly compelling exploration of the lives of the passengers and crew on board the most famous ship in history.
A deeply researched, analytically rich, and vivid account of England's early maritime empire Drawing on a wealth of understudied sources, historian Eleanor Hubbard explores the labor conflicts behind the rise of the English maritime empire.
How a strategist's ideas were catastrophically ignored in 1914-but shaped Britain's success in the Second World War and beyond Leading historian Andrew Lambert shows how, as a lawyer, civilian, and Liberal, Julian Corbett (1854-1922) brought a new level of logic, advocacy, and intellectual precision to the development of strategy.
The first book to weave Eurasia together through the perspective of the oceans and seas Eurasia's emerging powers-India, China, and Russia-have increasingly embraced their maritime geographies as they have expanded and strengthened their economies, military capabilities, and global influence.
A brilliant telling of the history of the common seaman in the age of sail, and his role in Britain's trade, exploration, and warfare"e;No other book resurrects the wooden world of Jack Tar in such captivating and voluminous detail.
An account of eighteenth-century global commerce as seen through the lives of three Scottish traders, "e;written with verve and filled with arresting details"e; (Tonio Andrade, author of The Gunpowder Age).
