Other Maritime Books

These are a selection of books available from the Royal Naval Museum Shop,.
If a book you require is not on our website please contact us, lots of other titles are available.!!

Paperback - 224 Pages
The official Help for Heroes Cook Book featuring recipes that celebrities, chefs and military people would like to feed to their heroes plus much more . . .

Much, much more than a cook book! This book asks British personalities and servicemen and women, both current and past,

Who their hero is
Why they are their hero
What they would feed them.

Paperback By Paul Feeney
238 Pages
Do you remember Beatlemania? Radio Caroline? Mods and Rockers? The very first miniskirts? Then the chances are you were born in or around 1960. To the young people of today, the 1960s seems like another age. But for those who grew up in this decade, school life, 'mod' fashions and sixties pop music are still fresh in their minds. From James Bond to Sindy dolls and playing hopscotch in the street, life was very different to how it is now. After the tough and frugal years of the fifties, the sixties was a boom period, a time of changed attitudes and improved lifestyles. With chapters on home and school life, games and hobbies, music and fashion, alongside a selection of charming illustrations, this delightful compendium of memories will appeal to all who grew up in this lively era. Take a nostalgic look at what it was like to grow up during the sixties and recapture all aspects of life back then.

Paperback By Hugh Popham
200 Pages
Hugh Popham joined the Fleet Air Arm in the summer of 1940 and was soon in training as a pilot at HMS Vincent and then Yeovilton; thereafter his wartime career as a naval pilot took him to the far corners of the world, notably to the Indian Ocean where he had to contend against the Japanese.
His story is one of a naval fighter pilot having to do his best with hopelessly inadequate planes. First the Sea Hurricanes, and then the Supermarine Seafires, proved to be less than brilliant machines, the Seafire proving far too fragile for the rigours of carrier operations. But it is this story, incorporating the kind of detail that is missing from many wartime memoirs, that makes this book so fascinating.

Paperback By George Simpson
314 Pages
This inspiring story of relentless naval hostilities in the Mediterranean is told by the commander of the 10th Submarine Flotilla, which was known by the sobriquet 'The Fighting Tenth' after its tenacious fighting spirit and the heart-rending losses it suffered.

Paperback By John Lippiett
294 Pages
This book deals with the Naval operations in the Falklands war of 1982, told largely through personal letters between the second in command of a frigate and his wife in the UK.

This publication, written by Lesley Burton, is Lesley's contribution towards recording some of the events - sad, funny or unusual - which do not often find their way into the official records. It is also a tribute to those many hundreds and thousands of otherwise unremarkable human beings who earned themselves a permanent place in the history of this country.

Hardback Book By Richard Dunn
192 Pages
This book offers an overview of the history of the telescope which burst onto the world stage four centuries ago. It traces the development from its invention in the Netherlands in 1608 to its everyday usage in the modern world, both on earth and beyond. Along the way we enter the world of the innovators and adventurers who helped shape the story, discovering how Galileo used the telescope to create his reputation as one of the great scientists of all times, what Isaac Newton was doing with arsenic and why the most advanced telescopes owe so much to the science of spying.

Small hardback book - 128 pages
An anthology of patriotic poems.

Hardback By Peter Kirsch
224 Pages
The fireship was the guided missile of the sailing era. Packed with incendiary (and sometimes explosive) material, it was aimed at its highly inflammable wooden target by volunteers who bailed out into a boat at the last moment. It often missed, but the panic it invariably caused among crews who generally could not swim and had no method of safely abandoning ship did the job for it - the most famous example being the attack off Gravelines in 1588 which led to the rout of the Spanish Armada.
Although it was a tactic used in antiquity, its successful revival in the Armada campaign led to the adoption of the fireship as an integral part of the fleet. During the seventeenth century increasingly sophisticated 'fireworks' were designed into purpose-built ships, and an advance doctrine was worked out for their employment. Fireship reveals the full impact of the weapon on naval history, looks at the technology and analyses the reasons for its decline.
This is the first history of a potent, much used but little understood weapon.

Hardback By Peter Scott
320 Pages
The History of the Light Coastal Forces in the Channel and North Sea 1939-1945

Hardback By Jurgen Rohwer
192 Pages
A superb illustrated history of the naval operations of the Second World War. Two hundred and fifty photographs and an accompanying text describe the inter-related nature of the events which took place in the Baltic and North Seas, in the Arctic, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. The author deals with every aspect of the naval war from top-level discussions and decisions concerning technical requirements and operations, to the events of the battles themselves and their consequences for the people involved. He has tracked down a superb collection of rare photographs which portray as truthfully as possible the realities of war at sea.

Hardback By Richard Hill
224 Pages
Navies once had to depend on the kindness of winds to move them towards their destination--but, in one of the most dramatic changes in military machinery, the ironclad, steam-powered ship took over. This new armored warship ensured British invincibility at sea, and secured for them the most extensive empire ever known. But, the English were not the lone beneficiaries of these new battleships: they also proved crucial during other wars, as well, including the American Civil War. With the help of over 150 illustrations and color maps, including computer-generated cartography, an eminent former Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy describes the changes in technology that led to these supreme instruments of sea warfare, the evolution in weapons and tactics, and the strategies that forever transformed conflict on the high seas.

Hardback By Ralph Barker
224 Pages
This is one of the greatest sea stories of World War II. It is the story of how George Binney, a 39 year-old civilian working in neutral Sweden when Norway was overrun by the Germans in 1940, set about running vital cargoes of Swedish ball-bearings and special steels to Britain through the blockaded Skagerrak, where German air strength was dominant and where the Royal Navy dare not trespass. Despite Admiralty gloom and in the face of political objections that were overcome by Binney's persistence, five ships carrying a year's supply of valuable materials for the expanding British war industries were successfully sailed to Britain in January 1941. A following attempt was not as successful and ended when six ships were sunk or scuttled. But then came the saga of the Little Ships, the motor gunboats flying the Red Duster that operated out of the Humber to and from the Swedish coast in the winter of 1943/44, defying the strenghtened German defences and the wrath of severe weather.

Paperback By Alfred Price
360 Pages
Dogfight" tells the story of some of the most incredible air battles of modern warfare. Alfred Price's action-packed accounts place you in the cockpit, offering a rare insight into what it was like to face the enemy thousands of feet above the frontline. From operations over the fields of France during the First World War, through to accounts of the indomitable spirit of the RAF during the Battle of Britain, to the horrifying loss of life inflicted by Hitler's Blitzkrieg offensive, when more than 300 aircraft fell in air-to-air combat during a single day of fighting; this book details the battles and the men who fought in them. The jet age is also heralded in by accounts of the air force's role in the Vietnam War and the Falklands. The role of reconnaissance aircraft in modern warfare is described alongside the precision of attacking pin-point targets during the Gulf War in Iraq. This book not only uncovers how the tactics of aerial warfare have changed through each major conflict of modern times, but also the dramatic narrative allows the reader to feel like they were there in the skies, flying alongside these incredible pilots.

Paperback By Jack Rosenthal
192 Pages
The True Story of a GI Bride of the Mighty Eighth.

Paperback By John Forbat
255 Pages
Looking at missile and avionics systems, with diagrams and photographs, and the trials and their effects on missile design, and telling the story of the company and its individuals and interactions with governmental bureaucracies, this volume also goes through certain projects at length, including Red Rapier, Blue Boar, Red Dean and Vigilant anti-tank missile (the author was responsible for many of the trials). It will appeal to both professionals in international aviation and weapons industries and the military, as well as to non-engineering qualified readers interested in the military history of advanced weapons.

Paperback By Michael Franks
200 Pages
Sir Walter Ralegh V Willian Sanderson
Ralegh was a remarkable man, perhaps the first UK "celeb", with many contrasting characteristics. A visionary, bold and energetic, he was also extravagant,reckless and self-centred. He needed a money man to manage his resources, and when necessary to raise additional funds for his ambitious projects, and found him in his nephew by marriage, William Sanderson, a rich and successful City of London merchant. So in the eleven years when they worked together Ralegh was able to achieve far more than he could have done on his own.

The book works at two levels. First, it describes what the two men collaborated on - they were at the centre of the "Imperial Vision", the crusade led by Ralegh and Richard Hakluyt to establish an English seaborne empire, following the failure of the Armada. Secondly, it traces the roller coaster relationship between two very different men, the overbearing courtier and the meticulous merchant. The partnership collapsed when they quarrelled over the funding of the El Dorado expedition in 1595 (and 16 years later there was litigation between them in the Chancery Court and Star Chamber). Despite the quarrel the Ralegh and Sanderson families remained on friendly terms and the Sandersons visited Ralegh in prison the night before his execution in 1618.

Hardback By Adrian Meredith
160 Pages
By the offical Concorde Photographer for British Airways, who took some of the most stunning Images of Concorde through her 27 years of commercial life, This Book includes some of the best Photographs ever taken of this Iconic Aircraft by some of the most Ledgendery Photographers, John Dibbs, Arthur Gibson plus many more. Book Foreword by Chief Concorde Captain Mike Bannister who was responsible for the return of Concorde first flight back after the Paris crash . This book has a plotted Photo History of Concorde through the ages, early years, Mile stones BA retirement Photos showing last flight Photos, plus showing Images of Concorde around the World, Over 200 Colour Photographs.

Hardback By Patrick O'Brian
400 Pages
At the time of his death, Patrick O'Brian was halfway through a novel to follow on from 'Blue at the Mizzen'. These are the chapters he had completed of the final voyage of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.

Hardback By Frank L Fox
448 Pages
The Greatest Sea Fight of the Age of Sail

Small hardback book - A collection of recipes from the war years.

Small hardback book.
Churchill's name is synonymous with the Allies' victory in the Second World War. This slim Pitkin 'Collectible' enhances our understanding of this important period of history and will also bring pleasure to the visitor to Britain.

Paperback book By Peter Higginbotham
192 pages
Containing a complete facsimile of the 1901 'Manual of Workhouse Cookery', the recipe book that every workhouse chef turned to when making gruel, this book will fascinate chefs and historians alike. Richly illustrated with more than 100 photographs, it covers all aspects of life and food in the workhouse, including infamous scandals, details of the special diets provided for children, the sick, the elderly, and vagrants, and sections on the food in the equivalent Scottish and Irish institutions.

Paperback By L.T.C Rolt
244 Pages
Describing the course of British engineering throughout the 19th century, this survey gives accounts of such major developments as the building of the railways, the growth of ship-building and the introduction of gas and electricity. It examines the individual achievements of Brunel, Joseph Paxton and Robert Stephenson among others, and explains how industrialisation changed the face of the environment. The book concludes by considering why the Victorians' mood of optimism turned to one of disillusionment. It argues that the Victorians failed to come to terms with the consequences of industrialisation, and that many of the innovations of British engineers found their best expression in other countries.

Paperback By Mike Ryan
224 Pages
With more than 200 colour photographs and analysis of the situation from those actually doing the fighting, Frontline Afghanistan may help the reader to make up his or her mind about the legitimacy of the conflict and the possible way forward.

Paperback - 300 Pages

Sir Morgan Crofton fought in the Boer War and joined the 2nd Life Guards at 34 years old as a cavalry officer. His diary charts his experiences on the front-line at Ypres from late October 1914 to the centenary of Waterloo in June 1915.

Crofton describes a battlefield a world away from what he and any of his comrades had experienced before – one of staying still in trenches, being pounded by artillery and the terrifying new power of machine guns. He describes the bewildering pace of technological change as new weapons, such as gas and hand grenades entered the fray.

His often ascerbic commentary offers a fascinating glimpse into the mindset of the regular officer class and his outspoken scepticism informs our understanding of a lost generation of professional soldiers.

Paperback By Max Adams
80 Pages
Cuthbert Collingwood is Northumberland's greatest - and perhaps least known - hero. He was born in Newcastle in 1748, went to sea at the age of 13, and became one of the most important commanders on land or sea in the wars against Napoleon. Though he loved Northumberland he spent just five of the next 48 years at home. He fought in some of the greatest naval engagements of any age and took on the mantle of Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet after Nelson's death at Trafalgar. He was Nelson's bosom friend and hero; he was a brilliant seaman, gunner and strategist. He held very modern views on education and leadership and hated flogging. He was humane and caring, a devoted family man, and his wit and perspicacity ring out across the generations. Above all, he should be remembered and honoured for sacrificing his life and happiness for his country. This book tell the story of Collingwood's adventurous life, from youthful scrapes to his heroic actions at the battle of Trafalgar and is published in Spring 2005, the Year of the Sea and bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar

Paperback By Raymond Lamont-Brown
320 pages
This question is answered for you along with 101 other questions on Royal history.

Hardback By Sarah C Wolfe
120 Pages
This book surveys in full detail all weapons used in the Royal Navy and the new naval service of the United States. It concentrates on development from the American Revolution to the end of the Civil War, the apogee and decline of fighting sail, revealing how British weapons were initially a major source of inspiration for the American navy, an influence which eventually declined as the United States developed its own arms industry. Using surviving examples, artifacts recovered by archeology, and documentary sources, the book devotes individual chapters to shipboard axes, pikes and other pole-arms, and both officers' and enlisted men's swords and cutlasses. It also looks at the decoration of swords and the significance of the motifs used, concluding with a section on the process of manufacturing and the organizations involved.

Paperback By James Newton
352 Pages
I couldn't see the tank. I couldn't see it... Someone was screaming over the radio. "Scream all you want, I still can't see it," I said to my pilot. The next explosion was so close it lifted my chest armour off my body in the shock wave. The noise brought me back to my awful reality. I looked out of the sight to see the shattered cockpit glass. The next one would be it and we knew it.'
Lieutenant Commander James Newton survived and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery. In a career that has seen him on operations over Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland and most recently Iraq, Newton is no stranger to being shot at. He has flown all the aircraft the Navy has and even ones it doesn't. Thrilling, fast-paced and an adrenaline-fuelled adventure, Armed Action is a fascinating insight into life in the air.

Hardback By Arthur Ward
192 Pages
The Boys Book Of Airfix

Celebrating the foundation of Airfix in 1939, this full colour hard-back book is packed with text and photographs. Written by the acknowledged Airfix historian Arthur Ward.

Paperback By David Cordingly
448 Pages
Thomas Cochrane served as the model for both C.S. Forrester’s Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey. As David Cordingly’s riveting biography shows, his real-life exploits were even more extraordinary than those of his fictional counterparts.

Paperback By Don Hale
288 Pages
A British naval frogman, Commander Lionel 'Buster' Crabb disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1957. This title uncovers who sanctioned Crabb's final dive in a case which claimed the jobs of Admiralty top brass and Intelligence people and contributed to the downfall of Prime Minister Anthony Eden.

Paperback By Marquerite Patten
320 Pages
Nostalgic food and facts from 1940-1954, this book takes a look at war time food and rationing and the celebrations that marked the end of the war.
Illustrated with fascinating conteporary photographs and cartoons, with lots of authentic interesting recipes.

Paperback By John Parker
416 Pages
An in-depth investigation into the history and exploits of the Royal Navy Submarine Service based on first-hand accounts

Hardback By Iain Gordon
256 Pages
Admiral John Child Purvis was a contemporary naval officer of Nelson, who never disobeyed an order and did his job well. His ability as a fighting commander was proved in a bloody duel between his sloop-of-war and a French corvette during the War of American Independence. As a battleship Captain, he was the first British officer to confront Napoleon Bonaparte, muzzle to muzzle, during the Siege of Toulon. Commanding the Princess Royal and then the London, he was involved in much action in the Mediterranean and served under the legendary Sir John Jervis (later Lord St. Vincent). Later, as a Flag Officer, he rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet first as second-in-command and then as Commander-in-Chief. The culmination of his long and distinguished career at sea was saving the Spanish fleet in Cadiz from capture by the French and preparing the city for siege.

Hardback By Graeme Donald
From cats, spats and catacombs to the Wall Street shuffle, "Lies, Damned Lies and History" is an entertaining look at how historical events didn't always unfold as we think they did. Graeme Donald takes the reader on a journey, century-by-century, showing how the truth we take for granted is a far cry from the facts. This is not a book for those who like their history sugar-coated, but for those who truly want to see the past as it was. It is a hilarious lesson that any history lover will delight in.

Paperback By Raymond Lamont Brown
336 Pages
"Royal Poxes and Potions" is a fascinating look at the relationship between monarchs and their doctors and reveals the complex and influential position that they held. Acclaimed biographer Raymond Lamont-Brown casts light on a previously overlooked aspect of the monarchy and the secrets it conceals. From the instigation of the royal doctor in medieval times and up to the present day, the tales of secrets, murder, medical incompetence and revolutionary operations make compelling reading. Included here is Sir William Gull, court physician to Queen Victoria, who was a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case, and Sir Frederick Treves, who was not only court physician to the four succeeding monarchs, but was also the man who helped to rescue the 'Elephant Man', Joseph Merrick, from a fairground freak show.

Hardback By Michelle Brown
192 Pages
What did Richard III have in his lunchbox? What did Mary Tudor eat for breakfast? And what exactly was it that made George IV so very fat? The fascinating world of royal diets is revealed in this collection of recipes used by monarchs from William the Conqueror to Edward VII. Fascinating details about each monarch accompany the recipes they used: did you know that William the Conqueror had to be physically restrained from killing the man who served him underdone roast crane? Or that Queen Elizabeth, whose household consumed 1,240 oxen and 4,200,000 eggs a year, was herself an abstemious eater and shocked her court by preferring to eat alone? In this fascinating romp through the kitchens of British monarchs, readers will find recipes for such royal delights as roast peacock and blackbirds baked in a pie, but will also enjoy more practical cookery tips for dishes like Almond Tart and Turbot au Gratin that will inspire a feast fit for a king.

Hardback By David Hilliam
276 Pages
Coronations are very public occasions, typically seen as meticulously planned formal ceremonies where everything runs smoothly. But behind the scenes at Westminster Abbey lie extraordinary but true stories of mayhem, confusion and merriment. In this book we travel through over a thousand years of England's history to reveal the real character of its kings and queens. Also packed with facts about how the service, traditions and accessories have changed over the years, "Crown, Orb & Sceptre" provides both a compelling read and an accessible and irreverent reference guide to one of the most spectacular ceremonies in England's heritage.

Paperback By David Hilliam
352 Pages
Which 'ill-prepared' monarch was on the English throne at the turn of the last millenium? How many English monarchs have been crowned on St George's Day? When, how and why did England 'lose' eleven days? "Monarchs, Murders & Mistresses" answers these questions and many more, presenting a royal event for each day of the calendar year in vivid detail with close-ups of the personalities involved. The book reveals the recurring occupational difficulties faced by the royal family over the centuries: as Shakespeare's Henry IV so memorably concludes, 'Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown'. Today the royal family is plagued by the press, but even 300 years ago Charles II felt the need to apologise to a crowd of onlookers for taking so long to die. This book contains topics ranging from the death of William III, who was killed by a mole to the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots. These, and over 300 other tales of royal days, bring alive the drama of what it was, and is, to be a king or a queen.

Hardback By John Shaw
208 Pages
This book examines more than 100 different knots, covering a wide spectrum of activities, in straightorward diagrams and step-by-step descriptions.

Hardback - 256 pages.
Knots are needed to tie up parcels and hitch a horse, and for camping, fishing, climbing, and sailing. Featuring easy-to-follow guides to over 100 knots, each illustrated with specially commissioned photographs, Knots teaches everything from the basics to more unfamiliar knots. Each section looks at specialty equipment and their related knots and gives a glossary of terms with pointers on how best to tie each one. Over 700 color illustrations are included.

Hardback By Geoffrey Budworth
Over 200 tying techniques with step by step photographs.

Hardback By Nigel Fountain
144 Pages
Women at War examines the enormously important part that women played in the major wars of the twentieth century. From their involvement in the First World War - as munitions workers, land girls, postal workers, drivers, as well as nurses and in the women's corps of the armed services that were established towards the war's end - their role increased with every major conflict.

Hardback By Anne Powell
416 Pages
In our collective memory, the First World War is dominated by men. The sailors, soldiers, airmen and politicians about whom histories are written were male, and the first half of the twentieth century was still a time when a woman's place was thought to be in the home. It was not until the Second World War that women would start to play a major role both in the armed forces and in the factories and the fields. Yet there were some women who were able to contribute to the war effort between 1914 and 1918, mostly as doctors and nurses. In "Women in the War Zone", Anne Powell has selected extracts from first-hand accounts of the experiences of those female medical personnel who served abroad during the First World War. Covering both the Western and the Eastern Fronts, from Petrograd to Basra and from Antwerp to the Dardanelles, they include nursing casualties from the Battle of Ypres, a young doctor put in charge of a remote hospital in Serbia and a nurse who survived a torpedo attack, albeit with serious injuries. Filled with stories of bravery and kindliness, it is a book that honours the often unsung contribution made by the female doctors and nurses who helped to alleviate some of the suffering of the First World War.

Paperback By Elizabeth P McIntosh
320 Pages
The daring missions of Americas World War II intelligence agency, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) are the stuff of legend, yet the contributions made by over 4000 women who served in the OSS are largely unheralded.
In this book the author draws on her own experiences and on interviews with more than 100 OSS women who served all over the world.

Hardback By Peter Johnson
144 Pages
The use of flags afloat and in most maritime situations is a complex and often misunderstood subject, needing to address legal aspects as well as etiquette, and often dictated by tradition, recognition and past naval usage. This book sets out to help the modern flag user, both ashore and afloat to 'get it right'.

Hardback By Richard Brooks
340 Pages
The Royal Marines are a unique corps, recruited as soldiers, but trained to serve at sea, and recognized as experts in amphibious warfare. This one-volume history of 300 years of the Royal Marines reveals the story behind their historical fortitude and gallantry.

Hardback - 96 pages
Contains over 50 recipes from the 18th century - all of which can be reproduced in the modern kitchen. The book also describes the historical background and has information on food, cooking equipment, the serving of meals and the development of taste and etiquette. It explains how the rapid development of scientific and technological discoveries affected both the preparation of food and the quality of food itself

Paperback By Angus Konstam
64 Pages
Following the pirate scourge of the early 18th century, many sea captains took to privateering as a means of making money. A form of nationally sponsored piracy, it reached its peak during the American Revolution, when the fledgling American navy had to rely on privateers to disrupt British shipping between England and the rebellious colonies. Following peace in 1815, many former privateers turned to piracy, spawning the last great piratical wave, which would last for a decade. The world of these privateers and latter-day pirates comes vividly to life in this detailed exploration of their ships, crews, ports and battle tactics

Hardback By Martin Davies
256 Pages
This is the story of the British Army's endeavours during the Great War to deceive the enemy and trick him into weakening his defences and redeploying his reserves. In this year-by-year account, Martin Davies shows how Sir John French and Sir Douglas Haig actively encouraged their Army commanders to employ trickery so that all attacks should come as a 'complete surprise' to the enemy. The methods of concealment of real military artefacts and the creation of dummy ones were ingenious enough but the real art lay in the development of geographically dispersed deception plans which disguised the real time and place of attack and forced the enemy to defend areas threatened by fake operations. Some of these plans, such as disguising mules as tanks and creating dummy airfields bordered on the farcical but were often amazingly effective. The driving force behind the deception plans was GHQ and the Army commanders, further dispelling the myth of 'Lions led by Donkeys'. Evidence shows that the British Army employed deception to advantage in all their theatres of operation.

Paperback By Robin Haines
368 Pages
This book focuses on the voyage to Australia and dispells some of the preconceptions on popular imagination. It follows the course of the travellers' lives after diembarkation in Australia. We hear from the migrants through their diaries as they reveal their hopes for the future and their lives aboard the ships.

Hardback By Robin Cross
272 Pages
As the last of the veteran generation gradually fade from view, this remarkable book pays homage to their memory and provides new insights into a war which still resonates and fascinates today.

Paperback By Patrick O'Brian
448 Pages
Establishing the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey RN and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship's surgeon and an intelligence agent, 'Master and Commander' contains all the action and excitement of a historical novel whilst displaying the qualities which have put O'Brian far ahead of any of his competitors: his evocative depiction of life aboard a Nelsonic man-of-war, of weaponry, food, conversation and ambience, and of the landscape and life on the high seas.

Hardback By Chris McNab
320 Pages
20th Century Military Uniforms provides detailed information on the history, development and use of 300 military uniforms from the 20th century.

Hardback -256 pages
This Official History of the Royal Yacht is being prepared by Richard Johnstone-Bryden and has the full unprecedented support of Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Duke of Edinburgh. As part of his research the author has interviewed a cross section of those involved in the story of this great ship from members of the Royal Family through to the junior Royal Yachtsmen as well as those who built her and those involved in her preservation. Moreover, many of the photographs have been made available by the MOD and Royal Archives including a number of informal photographs of the Royal Family.

Hardback - 128 Pages
By Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross
There has been no more beloved liner than Queen Elizabeth 2.This book will share with the reader the history of QE2, from the conception of Q4 and the laying of keel no. 736, to her final years and retirement.

Hardback - 128 Pages
By Edward Wake - Walker
This book tells the story of the RNLI from its beginnings during the reign of Queen Victoria, to the hi-tech rescue maritime organisation it has become in the 21st Century. This book describes how it all began; the early lifeboats - pulling and sailing; early lifeboat heroes - what it took to be a volunteer in the 19th century, and rescues and disasters.

Hardback By Peter R March
114 Pages
The Supermarine Spitfire is probably the most famous fighter aircraft of all time. It is certainly one of the most successful fighters ever designed. As a fighter aircraft it reigned supreme and unsurpassed from the biplane era to the dawn of the jet age, a period that included the Second World War. In addition to its primary role as an interceptor fighter, the Spitfire also acquitted itself with flying colours in the ground attack, photo-reconnaissance, carrier-borne fighter and escort fighter roles. Through a continuous programme of modification and development it remained at the forefront of fighter design until superseded by the new generation of jet fighters after the war. "The Spitfire Story" is an attractive, picture-led account with a short but authoritative text supported by a comprehensive selection of 40 colour and 40 black and white photographs showing the Spitfire at all stages of its life. Peter R. March's narrative covers the background from its genesis, to first flight and flight testing; the Spitfire in the Battle of Britain; the Spitfire in combat during the Second World War; post-war service and retirement; and how the Spitfire lives on in the 21st century (with a listing of surviving Spitfires and where to see them).

Hardback - 128 pages
By Peter.R.March
The 'Jump-jet' was the world's first vertical/short take-off and landing (VSTOL) operational jet aircraft (VSTOL). Developed using the revolutionary Pegasus engine, the Harrier has served the RAF and US Marine Corps well for over 30 years. Here, vividly told, is the fascinating story from tentative hovering by the Hawker P1127 in 1960 to today's frontline Harrier GR9 and AV-8B warplanes. A naval version, the Sea Harrier, entered service with the Royal Navy in 1979. Alongside the RAF Harrier it saw action in the Falklands War in 1982. More recently, Harriers have seen combat over Kosovo, Bosnia and Iraq. In the USA, a license-built version (the AV8-A/B) equips the US Marine Corps and is in service today in Iraq. Harriers also equip air forces in Spain and Thailand.

Hardback By Peter R March
128 Pages
The Hawker Hurricane won lasting fame in the service of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Over 11,700 examples were eventually built of this versatile and deadly combat aircraft, fulfilling an incredible number of contrasting roles. Its design, development and production are described in detail, as are the Hurricane's widely varied operational roles during the Second World War, both at home and overseas. Full details are given of production figures, production variants, and operational service with all RAF and RN squadrons and units.

Hardback By Peter R March
128 Pages
This is a complete Lancaster story with a concise authoritative narrative and fully illustrated in color and black and white. It is pocket-sized hardback. Here is the unique story of the RAF's Avro Lancaster bomber. Peter R. March covers the Lancaster's genesis, first flight and flight testing; its part in the bomber offensive during the Second World War and how this iconic aircraft lives on in the 21st Century, with a listing of surviving Lancasters and where to see them. The text is supported by a comprehensive selection of color and black and white photographs.

Hardback - 144 pages
Over 60 full colour paintings of famous warships by artist Paul Wright. Each painting is accompanied by a brief history of the ship, the purpose for which she was built and her consequent career at sea.

Paperback By Simon Fowler
192 Pages
Provides a comprehensive introduction to researching army history. This book shows how to trace the careers of individual soldiers from 1760. It explains army organization and regimental histories and covers information on the major archives and museums, including the National Archives.

Paperback By Richard Brooks, Matthew Little
192 Pages
Whether you are interested in the career of an individual Royal Marine or just want to know more about the part played by the Marines in a particular battle or campaign, this book will point you in the right direction. Assuming that the reader has no prior knowledge of the Royal Marines, their history or organization, Richard Brooks and Matthew Little explain which records survive, where they can be found and how they can help you in your research. They also describe in vivid detail the evolution of the Royal Marines, from the tentative beginnings of the service in the seventeenth century to their present position as a key part of the British armed forces

Paperback By Phil Tomaselli
192 Pages
Whether you are interested in the career of an individual air-man or woman, researching medals awarded to a pilot or crew member or just want to know more about a particular squadron or operation, this book will point you in the right direction. Assuming that the reader has no prior knowledge of the air force, its history or organization, Phil Tomaselli explains which records survive, where they can be found and how they can help you in your research. He also recommends resources available online as well as books and memoirs. Each era in air force history is described, from the pioneering days of early aviation and the formation of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War to the creation of the Royal Air Force, its operations during the Second World War and its postwar development. The author explains the evolving organization of the air force in each period. He also provides pointers and examples which should help researchers find the records of units and bases that individuals served in.

Paperback By William H Miller
120 Pages
It was the Golden Age of British passenger shipping, when new liners were still being constructed and the finest liners afloat, the Cunard Queens, were at their peak. The aeroplane had still to overtake the ocean liner as the only way to travel and wouldn't do so until the early 1960s. What the liner lost in speed, it certainly made up for in luxury. British liners still ruled the waves, setting sail almost daily to the USA and Canada and weekly to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. They carried the mail and emigrants to the countries of the Commonwealth and to the USA and South America. Within the pages of Under the Red Ensign, William H. Miller gives us a visual feast of the best of British passenger shipping in an era when Britain still ruled the waves.

Paperback By John Sutherland and Diane Canwell
160 Pages
This images of war book shows the U boats at war in too sections - World War I and World War II.
The WWI section features a submariner's photos of German U-boats, Many photos of the crew and of attacks.
The World War II section includes images from an original World War II U-boat commanders photograph album.

Hardback By N.S Nash
The full story of the 'battle' of the Isle Of May

Paperback By Andrew Norman
192 Pages

Hardback By C.S Knighton
256 Pages
Pepys's diary has made him a literary celebrity. In his own time he was known as the chief naval official under Charles II and James II and this aspect of the diarist's life has not received the attention it deserves from his modern biographers. Charles Knighton, a Pepys scholar with a particular interest in naval history, reveals the full extent of Pepys's achievements in creating a modern navy which was both permanent and professional.

Paperback By David Ramsey
320 Pages
Admiral Sir Reginald 'Blinker' Hall, the Director of Naval Intelligence (DNI) for most of the First World War, described as 'a genius in his own sphere and brilliantly successful', was one of the outstanding if largely unrecognized naval leaders of that war. Naval intelligences ability to read and analyse German naval and diplomatic signals on a daily basis was a significant factor in the allied victory. The Germans never realized that their codes had been broken. The revelation of the Zimmermann Telegram, surely one of the most exciting and significant events in the history of intelligence, astutely handled by Hall, was the catalyst that brought America into the war in April 1917. The German unrestricted submarine warfare campaign was then coming dangerously close to cutting Britain's supply routes. The effective interface between intelligence and operations, instituted by Hall and the anti-submarine chief, Admiral Duff, together with the introduction of convoy and with the Royal and US Navies working successfully together, resulted in the defeat of the U-boats. Halls dynamic leadership, talent for lateral thinking and force of personality were essential to these successes. Above all he was endowed with the guile and ruthlessness which kept him one step ahead of a formidable and determined enemy and their widespread espionage and subversion operations.

Hardback By Ruth Ives
160 Pages
During the Second World War, the only way Winston Churchill and his American counterpart Franklin D. Roosevelt could communicate was via a top secret transatlantic telephone link. All other Atlantic telephone cables had been disconnected to prevent the Germans intercepting information. Ruth Ive, then a young stenographer working in the Ministry of Information, had the job of censoring the line, and she spent the rest of the war listening in to the conversations across the Atlantic, ready to cut the line if anything was said that might compromise security. Ruth was sworn to secrecy about her work, and at the end of the war all documentation proving the existence of the telephone line was destroyed. It was not until 1995, when Churchills private files were finally declassified, that Ruth was able to research her story. Now, for the first time, one of the Second World Wars key workers describes the details of her incredible story, and the private conversations of two of the wars most important players can be revealed.

Hardback By Ian Kinloch Bryce
336 Pages
"Shipmate and Mistresses: Bye and Large" is a revealing account of a life lived to the full. It tells of the dangerous missions as a midshipman during World War Two. The author had to endure dive bombings, the underwater menace of U-boats and the horrors of lives being lost all around him. He is particularly frank about his personal life, describing a series of girlfriends, long hours playing the piano and a breakdown with post traumatic stress syndrome which resulted in him leaving his life at sea to take up positions in the oil industry and eventually management training. Throughout the book, a series of colourful characters come and go, not least Bastard, the ship's dog, but always leave a lasting impression on the reader. This is a book not to be missed, a roller-coaster and candid tale of one of life's true characters told with all of the panache of a true raconteur.

Hardback By Tom Gorman
160 Pages
A comprehensive guide to the installation, operation and maintenance of propulsion systems for scale model ships, emphasising practical advice. Beginning with the choice of model and the propulsion system to go with it, the author goes on to describe both electric and steam systems, including the fitting and care of battery packs, radio control and the operation of steam boilers, with particular emphasis on the safety requirements when dealing with pressurized containers. Both paddle-wheels and screw propellers are covered, as well as specialist propulsion units such as variable-pitch propellers, azimuth thrusters and Voith Schneider units and their particular advantages and operational requirements. Throughout the book, reference is made to full-scale practice as the basis of what the modeller is trying to achieve. Extensive data tables and appendices with addresses of suppliers of materials and equipment complete this practical handbook.

By Nigel Cawthorne
144 Pages
This is great reading for the huge number of people with a passion for the sea. It is immaculately researched and builds itself into a rather dramatic history of sailing the seven seas. Ships have been overwhelmed by huge waves, consumed by fire, broken apart, sunk by storms and driven onto uncharted rocks. They have collided with icebergs or other ships, or run aground on unlit coastlines. Boilers have exploded. Magazines have ignited. Cargoes have shifted with catastrophic consequences and submarines have submerged never to come up again.

Paperback By Shire Publications
64 Pages
This book gives an overview of the trans-Atlantic slave trade from its sixteenth century beginnings until its final absolution in the nineteenth century. It covers the main countries involved and explains the inner workings of the trade and the developments that made it easier and more profitable as the centuries passed. On the human level, this book uses the stories of the enslaved, often in their own words, to try to convey the horrors endured by these victims. Finally, it details the fight against slavery both by politicians such as William Wilberforce and

Paperback By Patrick Robinson
501 Pages
The H.M.S. Unseen is one of the most efficient, lethal submarines ever built. But suddenly, on a training mission off the English coast, it vanishes, baffling military intelligence on both sides of the Atlantic, including National Security Adviser Admiral Arnold Morgan. A missing weapon is dangerous enough. But then the unthinkable begins to happen....Planes begin blowing up across the skies.

Searching for answers, Morgan is convinced that only one man can be behind all these devastating events: his archenemy, the world's most cunning--yet reportedly dead--terrorist spy. Determined to stop his old nemesis, Morgan must use all his wits to find a madman armed with a powerful sub hidden somewhere in a million square miles of ocean. What Morgan doesn't know, however, is that the fanatical terrorist has a plan of his own, one that will bring these two intense warriors face-to-face--and only one will come out alive??

Paperback By Patrick Robinson
598 Pages
He was one of the world's most skillful submariners, trained by the best in the business, the Royal Navy. Now, at the peak of his powers and skill, he finally comes into his own. For years, he has been a sleeper for the enemies of the West, now he has been given his orders and will carry them out with brutal efficiency, or die in the attempt. His target? The oil-supply lines that carry America's life blood from the frozen wastes of Alaska to the power hungry refineries of America's West Coast. His weapon? A lethal submarine, Barracuda 945, that he hijacks before setting off in search of the pipelines he will destroy. The Barracuda, like the shark it is named after, is swift, silent and deadly. Who can stop him? - only the Special Forces and the submariners of the West's navies, but only if they can trace him in the first place and eliminate him before he destroys the oil supply routes. "Barracuda 945" is Patrick Robinson's sixth breathtaking near future thriller.

Paperback By Patrick Robinson
512 Pages
An oil tanker mysteriously explodes in the Persian Gulf. Then a second . . . and a third. To the President's National Security Adviser Admiral Arnold Morgan it is more than a tragic coincidence—it is a brazen act of aggression that must not stand. In partnership with Iran, the Chinese navy has mined the Strait of Hormuz, intending to hold the world's oil supply hostage. Now eighty percent of America's active sea power is being mobilized—including U.S.S. Shark, an aging nuclear submarine on its final tour of duty—to dismantle a deadly alliance between two powerful enemies. But something goes terribly wrong during a bold retaliatory SEAL assault on China's Indian Ocean power plants—a disaster that spawns death, disbelief, rage . . . and rebellion. And with a volatile world on the brink of catastrophic conflict, the commanders of a nuclear boat in the twilight of glory must confront a nightmare as devastating as it is unthinkable: mutiny!

Paperback By Patrick Robinson
480 Pages
A nuclear attack..an undetectable rogue submarine....a deadly hunt for revenge
The unthinkable has happened. The worlds most powerful nuclear powered warship has been destroyed. It is the greatest peacetime disaster in US Naval history and America mourns the lives of the crew. But intelligence reports suggest something more sinister. The US Nimitz Class aircraft carrier could have been the target of a rogue ex-soviet submarine. But where is it from? Who is on board? And where will it attack next?.....

Paperback By Julian Stockwin
448 Pages
The year is 1793 and Europe is ablaze with war. Thomas Paine Kydd, a young wig-maker from Guildford, England, is seized by the press-gang to be part of the crew of the 98-gun line-of-battle ship Duke William. The ship sails immediately and Kydd quickly has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life. Yet despite all he goes through in danger of tempest and battle, gradually he learns to admire the skills and courage of the seamen. He comes to love the companionship he finds amongst his fellows and wants nothing more than to be like them. But will mere promise be enough to turn a raw youth into a true sailor?

Paperback By Julian Stockwin
352 Pages

The seventh book in this series based on life in Nelson's Navy finds Lieutenant Kydd emerging from another doldrums period in his naval career to be given command of his own ship, the brig Teazer. We share both the joy at his first command and also the challenges it brings both professional and personal. The storyline as ever is strong with Malta as the initial central location and plenty of sea action but this time from the perspective of Kydd having to lead and gain the trust and confidence of his men - not the plain sailing he expected. He eventually succeeds in the course of a successful sea battle against La Fouine, revenge for an earlier exchange where the French ship almost had the better of him.

His joy turns to unhappiness and almost despair when peace is declared and Teazer is laid up and he left without a command. This brings Kydd to the realisation that he is now a sailor, only really at home at sea and prepared to command a prison transportation ship bound for New South Wales if that is the only way in which he can achieve this.
By chance Kydd's former naval companion Renzi is a passenger on Kydd's ship but they are estranged with Renzi having rejected his inheritance but having no real role in life and determined to build a future in New South Wales. His and Kydd's adventures and experiences there develop the storyline further and the book ends with Kydd back in his country's service and Renzi and he reconciled.

Paperback By Julian Stockwin
384 Pages
1803.... Commander Kydd has sailed with the Royal Navy in the dangerous South Seas, against Napoleon's fleet in the Mediterranean and to the edge of the known world in a convict ship to Australia, but he is about to discover that the most dangerous waters can be closest to home. Privateers, smugglers, perilous storms and a treacherous coastline all threaten to overcome HMS Teazer. Meanwhile an unlikely rival is seeking her captain's heart, the beautiful and determined admiral's daughter.

Paperback By Mike Morgan
256 Pages
Mike Morgan presents 25 stories about the larger-than-life exploits of the SAS and SBS in World War II - an SAS Jeep patrol in France outnumbered fifty-to-one by SS troopers, who shot their way out to safety in their bullet-riddled vehicle, killing a quarter of their opposition; an SAS soldier who talked his way through enemy roadblocks in North Africa, in full British uniform, and tore a strip off the guard for neglecting to check his papers; and another, who walked the whole length of Italy to escape after his raid went wrong.Supported by a selection of rare archive and action shots, this comprehensive collection includes some previously unpublished stories.

Paperback By Johnson Beharry VC
448 Pages
Born in 1979 in Grenada as one of eight children, living in a two-bedroom hut, surviving on meagre meals of beans and rice and walking barefoot, three miles to school. At 13 Johnson Beharry quit school and worked as a decorator and labourer. In 1999 he scraped together the airfare for England and joined the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. He served six months in Kosovo, three months in Northern Ireland and then went to Iraq. On 1 May 2004, Beharry helped assist a foot patrol caught in a series of ambushes. His vehicle was hit by multiple rocket propelled grenades but he drove through the ambush and extracted his wounded colleagues from the vehicle, all the time exposed to further enemy fire. He was cited on this occasion for 'valour of the highest order'. While back on duty on 11 June 2004, a rocket propelled grenade hit Beharry's vehicle incapacitating his commander and injuring several of the crew. Despite his very serious head injuries, Beharry took control of his vehicle and drove it out of the ambush area before losing consciousness. He required brain surgery for his head injuries, and he was still recovering when he was awarded the VC in March 2005.

Paperback By Philip Hoare
432 Pages
You might expect the biography of a building to be a dusty, hollow affair, especially one no longer standing, but Philip Hoare's Spike Island demolishes that pre-conception with poetic relish. The building is Netley's Royal Victoria Military Hospital, built in the Spike Island region of Southampton and completed in 1863. Florence Nightingale railed vociferously against its design--correctly, it was to prove. It was huge, using over a million red bricks and home to a thousand patients; postmen used to ride their bikes along the quarter-mile corridors that American GIs later drove their jeeps down. As the pink of the Empire it was built to serve faded from the map, Hoare relates, with veritable scholarship and dark exuberance, the horror tales that reverberated around its walls, from early psychiatric experimentation to the tragedy of World War I shell-shock victims. Wilfred Owen was a patient at Netley after the Somme, while doctors included Dr WH Rivers, who featured in Pat Barker's Regeneration Trilogy, and a young RD Laing, who developed his distaste for brutal psychiatric method working there.

Paperback By Dudley Pope
288 Pages

Setting off on a presumably predictable sweep for freebooters in the waters off Jamaica, Ramage and the crew of the Calypso stumble upon a scene of carnage: A sinking British ship, her crew and passengers, men and women alike, ruthlessly murdered at the hands of a French privateer. Supported by his men in a thirst for righteous vengeance, Ramage ferrets out the brigand's name and sets sail to bring him in.

By Shire Publications
The greatest engineer of his age, Brunel accomplished works that others refused to contemplate: the Clifton suspension bridge, the Box tunnel, the first ship to built entirely of iron. Engineer of the Great Western Railway.

Paperback By Helen Doe
Jane Slade of Polruan is an account of a family of shipbuilders in a small Cornish village over a hundred years. At the heart of the enterprise was Jane Slade, who took control of the family business on her husband's death. She was the only woman shipbuilder in Cornwall and her legacy lived on through successive generations of shipbuilders, repairers and mariners, and in the ship named after her.

Paperback By Clive Hopkins
214 Pages
From the North, without warning, a soviet trained and equipped Peoples' Army has swept over the 38th parallel, captured the South Korean capital of Seoul within days and surged south; sweeping aside the resistance of unready and more lightly equipped defenders. Under the pale blue flag of the untried and newly formed United Nations, HMS Challenger, with British and US Marines and Special Forces, is detached to probe the enemy's weaknesses, to delay the enemy's advances and to gather intelligence to make possible the politically important recapture of Seoul.

Paperback By Alan Weeks
192 Pages
It is said that 'an army marches on its stomach', but histories of the First World War usually concentrate on its political and military aspects. The gargantuan task of keeping the British Expeditionary Force fed and watered is often overlooked, yet without adequate provision the soldiers would never have been able to fight. Tommy couldn't get enough tea, rum or fags, yet his commanders sent him bully beef and dog biscuits. But it was amazing how 2 million men did not usually go short of nourishment, although parcels from home, canteens and estaminets had a lot to do with that. Incredibly, Tommy could be in a civilised town supping, beer, wine, egg and chips, and a few hours later making do with bully beef in a water-filled trench. Alan Weeks examines how the army got its food and drink and what it was like.

Paperback By S.P Mackenzie
190 Pages
A quarter of a century after his death, Douglas Bader remains the most famous fighter pilot that Britain has ever known. He lost both of his legs in a flying accident in 1931, but overcame his disability and returned to the RAF in 1939 to command the Canadian Fighter Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Held as a prisoner of war at several German camps, including the infamous Colditz Castle, he made numerous escape attempts, becoming such an aggravation that his captors were forced to confiscate his tin legs. Such was his fame on his return to England that his autobiography sold 100,000 copies upon publication, and the hugely successful film about his life Reach for the Sky, starring Kenneth More, further popularised the legend. While he had as many flaws as laudable qualities, Bader undeniably achieved great things, both during the Second World War and in his later work for disabled charities. Baders War makes use of new memoirs, interviews and documents that have only recently become available, and which help shed further light on various episodes in his life, providing an unbiased portrayal of this fascinating man.

Paperback By Chris Collard
119 Pages
The White Funnel Fleet of P&A Campbell had a long and successful association with England's south coast, with the company's Bristol Channel steamer excursions perhaps being their best-known operation. Covering the period from the 1880s to the 1950s, from the tentative beginnings when brothers Alexander and Peter Campbell took up the challenge of the busy and tempestuous Bristol Channel, this beautifully illustrated history - using many rare and previously unpublished images from the archives of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society - takes the reader through the golden years of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, the difficult years of the 1920s and 1930s, and the resurgence of the late 1940s before the harsh economic pressures of the 1950s led to the company's decline. Including heart-warming stories from the two world wars, when the ships donned warship grey and swept the sea lanes for mines, as well as fascinating 'White Funnel Trivia', this book evokes the hey-day of the White Funnel Steamers and their enduring appeal.