Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time by Dava Sobel

$12.00 NZD

Category: Nautical | Reading Level: near fine

The dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of one man's forty-year obsession to find a solution to the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day--"the longitude problem." Anyone alive in the eighteenth century would have known that "the longitude problem" was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day-and had been for centuries. Lacking the ability to measure their longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Thousands of lives and the increasing fortunes of nations hung on a resolution. One man, John Harrison, in complete opposition to the scientific community, dared to imagine a mechanical solution-a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had ever been able to do on land. Longitude is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of Harrison's forty-year obsession with building his perfect timekeeper, known today as the chronometer. Full of heroism and chicanery, it is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking, and opens a new window on our world. ...Show more

Ships of the Cunard Line by Frank E Dodman

$20.00 NZD

Category: Shipping | Reading Level: very good

The Atlantic Star 1939-45 by David A Thomas

$20.00 NZD

Category: Naval | Reading Level: very good

Blue Latitudes - Boldly going where Captain Cook has gone before by Tony Horwitz

$15.00 NZD

Category: Nautical | Reading Level: very good

The Deadly Trade - A Complete History of Submarine Warfare from Archimedes to the Present by Iain Ballantyne

$25.00 NZD

Category: Military | Reading Level: very good

The Deadly Trade is a fascinating and comprehensive account of how an initially ineffectual underwater boat - originally derided and loathed in equal measure - evolved into the most powerful and terrifying vessel ever invented, with enough destructive power to end all life on Earth. Acclaimed naval writ er Iain Ballantyne considers the key episodes of submarine warfare and vividly describes the stories of brave individuals who have risked their lives under the sea, often with fatal consequences. His analysis of underwater conflict begins with Archimedes discovering the Principle of Buoyancy. Our clandestine journey then moves through the centuries and focuses on prolific characters with deathly motives, including David Bushnell who in 1775 in America devised the first combat submarine with the idea of attacking the British. Ballantyne also looks at pioneers in the area such as Admiral Jacky Fisher who helped to revolutionise the entire Royal Navy in the early 1900s. The Deadly Trade considers the advances in technology during the twentieth century, which helped to make the submarine one of the most feared arsenals in war. Today, nuclear-powered submarines are among the most complex, costly ships in existence. Armed with nuclear weapons, they have the ability to destroy millions of lives: they are the most powerful warships ever created. At the heart of this thrilling narrative lurks danger and power as we discover warfare's murkiest secrets. ...Show more

Fitzroy - The remarkable story of Darwin's captain and the invention of the weather forecast by John Gribbin

$18.00 NZD

Category: Naval | Reading Level: very good

Icebound - Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer

$25.00 NZD

Category: Nautical | Reading Level: near fine

In the bestselling tradition of Hampton Sides's In the Kingdom of Ice, a riveting and cinematic tale of Dutch polar explorer William Barents and his three harrowing Arctic expeditions--the last of which resulted in a relentlessly challenging year-long fight for survival.The human story has always been o ne of perseverance--often against remarkable odds. The most astonishing survival tale of all might be that of 16th-century Dutch explorer William Barents and his crew of sixteen, who ventured farther north than any Europeans before and, on their third polar exploration, lost their ship off the frozen coast of Nova Zembla to unforgiving ice. The men would spend the next year fighting off ravenous polar bears, gnawing hunger, and endless winter. In Icebound, Andrea Pitzer masterfully combines a gripping tale of survival with a sweeping history of the great Age of Exploration--a time of hope, adventure, and seemingly unlimited geographic frontiers. At the story's center is William Barents, one of the 16th century's greatest navigators whose larger-than-life ambitions and obsessive quest to chart a path through the deepest, most remote regions of the Arctic ended in both tragedy and glory. Journalist Pitzer did extensive research, learning how to use four-hundred-year-old navigation equipment, setting out on three Arctic expeditions to retrace Barents's steps, and visiting replicas of Barents's ship and cabin. "A visceral, thrilling account full of tantalizing surprises" (Andrea Barrett, author of The Voyage of the Narwhal ), Pitzer's reenactment of Barents's ill-fated journey shows us how the human body can function at twenty degrees below, the history of mutiny, the art of celestial navigation, and the intricacies of building shelters. But above all, it gives us a first-hand glimpse into the true nature of human courage. ...Show more

Soren Larsen - Homeward Round the Horn by Jim Cottier

$15.00 NZD

Category: Nautical

The lively story of a modern voyage under sail, homeward round Cape Horn.

Nights On Ice - True Stories of Disaster and Survival on Alaska's High Seas by Spike Walker

$10.00 NZD

Category: Nautical | Reading Level: very good

Room 40 - British Naval Intelligence 1914-18 by Patrick Beesly

$16.00 NZD

Category: Espionage | Reading Level: good-very good

Tasman Trespasser II: The Shaun Quincey Story by Shaun Quincey

$12.00 NZD

Category: Nautical | Reading Level: good

In a nail-biting, funny, poignant and inspiring modern-day adventure, Shaun Quincey shares the physical and mental challenges and utter exhilaration of pitting yourself against something way bigger and way more unforgiving than anything you'll ever face in a life more ordinary. In 1977, Colin Quincey be came the first man to row the Tasman. Thirty years later, his son Shaun decided to emulate his father - rowing the other way. His father's boat was the Tasman Trespasser, and when Shaun decided to build and row Tasman Trespasser II, he knew it wasn't going to be easy. At the time, he owned little more than a drum kit and a heap of dreams. While he was at home in the water - an experienced surf lifesaver and swimmer - in his own words he had never been so scared, had less money, been laughed at as much or been so unprepared for anything in his life. That he succeeded is history - that he set a new record, testament to personal endurance and sheer tenacity, as well as the skill with which he designed and built his boat. ...Show more

Saltwater in Her Hair - Stories of women in the New Zealand maritime industry by Dee Pigneguy

$25.00 NZD

Category: Nautical | Reading Level: near fine