The History of Seafaring by Donald Johnson

$119.99 NZD

Category: Nautical

This is a large format, meticulously researched, lavishly illustrated and fully international history of mankind's seaborne voyages from the Phoenicians and Chinese to modern navies and round-the-world sailing yachts.

Ships of the White Star Line by Richard de Kerbrech

$79.99 NZD

Category: Nautical

The White Star Line was one of the most illustrious and controversial names in the history of passenger shipping. Its origins lay in Liverpool in the early 19th century, chartering sailing ships to Australia, but financial difficulties led to its takeover by Thomas Ismay in the 1860s. He was the foundin g father of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, the official name of the White Star Line. Despite a number of disasters with heavy loss of life, the company grew quickly to dominate the North Atlantic route, with famous ships such as Britannic and Germanic taking the Blue Riband for the fastest crossing several times in the late 19th century. At the turn of the century the company established an unrivaled standard of luxury in its new quartet of ships known as the Big Four, which led to the construction of the Olympic Class, which included Titanic. Despite the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the Olympic had a long and successful career as the flagship of the White Star Line before the financial pressures of the Depression in the 1930s forced the merger of White Star with its rival Cunard. "Ships of the White Star Line" is the fruit of years of research by maritime historian Richard de Kerbrech. In it he tells the story of the company through all 89 ships that served the shipping line, each of which is illustrated with photographs, along with detailed technical information and vivid accounts of voyages and incidents. ...Show more

Able Seamen: The Lower Deck of the Royal Navy 1850 to 1939: Pt. 2 by Brian Lavery

$55.00 NZD

Category: Nautical

Brian Lavery returns with the second volume of his engaging social history of the Royal Navy's 'lower deck', exploring the world of the seamen (as opposed to the officers of the quarterdeck). Following on from Royal Tars (covering the years 875-1850) it now precedes the third volume All Hands (covering the years from 1939). In Able Seamen the author addresses a range of issues central to the evolution of the seaman through 89 years of change, including 'Jacky' Fisher's sweeping reforms and the concept of the 'new seaman'; the rise of stokers, artificers and engineers and the traditional seaman's 'crisis of identity' as the navy moved from sail to steam. The 'lower deck' also had to deal with the changing social structure of the Navy; the great demands made on the Service throughout the British Empire; the move from broadside batteries to sophisticated turretsand fire-control systems; the modernization and standardisation of signals and telegraphy; the rise of 'small ships' as a destroyer fleet was created to fulfil new strategic requirements; and the creation of the submarine service. Brian Lavery also highlights the repercussions of the First World War and the grand fleet engagement at Jutland; the expressions of discontent (such as the infamous Invergordon mutiny), and the lead-up to the Second World War. Readable, engaging and authoritative, this book chronicles an important stage in the history of the Royal Navy and illuminates the inherent adaptability of the lower deck, as new technologies demanded increased professionalism, specialization and training. ...Show more

Tiger by Thomas Anderson

$36.99 NZD

Category: Nautical

One of the most feared weapons of World War II, the Tiger tank was a beast of a machine which dominated the battlefields of Europe with its astonishing size, speed and firepower, which continues to fascinate more than 70 years after it was first designed. Revealing its design and development history, Th omas Anderson draws upon original German archival material to tell the story of the birth of the Tiger. He then analyzes its success on the battlefield and the many modifications and variants that also came into play. Illustrated throughout with rare photographs and drawings, this is a unique history of what is easily the most famous tank ever produced. ...Show more

Aircraft Carriers of the World by BERNARD IRELAND

$21.99 NZD

$39.99 (45% off)

Category: Nautical

British Admirals of the Fleet 1734-1995 by T. A. Heathcote

$44.99 NZD

Category: Nautical

A companion volume to the same author's "The British Field Marshals 1736-1997", this book outlines the lives of the 115 officers who held the rank of Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal Navy from 1734, when it took its modern form, to 1995, when the last one was appointed. Each entry gives details of the dates of the birth and death of its subjects, their careers ashore and afloat, their family backgrounds, and the ships, campaigns and combats in which they served. Each is placed clearly in its domestic or international political context. The actions recorded include major fleet battles under sail or steam, single-ship duels, encounters with pirates on the Spanish Main and up the rivers of Borneo, the suppression of the Slave Trade (for which the Navy receives little gratitude), landing parties to deal with local dictators and revolutionaries, and the services of naval brigades in China, Egypt and South Africa. ...Show more

Fighting Ships 1850-1950 by Sam Willis

$55.00 NZD

Category: Nautical

Fighting Ships 1850-1950 presents a stunning collection of 150 large-scale paintings, drawings, photographs and ship plans that tell the story of naval warfare from the first iron and steam warships to the deadly U-boats of World War II. Published in partnership with the National Maritime Museum, this n ew edition includes many updated images. The period's most significant naval engagements are depicted in striking detail - the bombardment of Sveaborg during the Crimean war, the attack on Pearl Harbor, as well as the evacuation of Dunkirk and the D-Day landings - revealing the glory and exhilaration of the last great age of marine warfare. Arranged chronologically, the ships illustrated include HMS Warrior, the first iron-hulled, heavily armoured warship; the battleship Aurora which ignited the Russian revolution; formidable German battle cruiser Bismarck; British aircraft carriers HMS Argus and HMX Illustrious and the Japanese Akagi, among many others. This remarkable collection not only showcases updated images of some of the greatest naval artists of the period but also features powerful photographs, often taken by the sailors themselves. Each image is accompanied by Sam Willis's expert commentary, shedding light on the key naval conflicts of the era and the breathtaking complexity of the modern warship. ...Show more

Normandie by John Maxtone-Graham

$200.00 NZD

Category: Nautical

Normandie was unquestionably the most beautiful ocean liner ever built. The world's largest at the time, she also became the world's fastest. Her art deco interiors were unrivalled: capacious, elegant and chic, decorated by teams of France's most talented artists. Yet Normandie was plagued with frustrat ions-never attracting more passengers than the competition and tragically ending her days in flames at New York's Pier 88.Celebrated maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham confesses to a hypnotic fascination with Normandie. In this comprehensive volume, he documents every aspect of the vessel's decorative antecedents, design, construction and service. Always articulate, entertaining and devastatingly well informed, Maxtone-Graham has created the definitive Normandie panegyric, a comprehensive and at times, heartbreaking account of this fabled liner. ...Show more

Yacht Were You Thinking?: An A-Z of Boat Names Good and Bad by Jonathan Eyers

$21.99 NZD

Category: Nautical

Naming a boat is as personal as naming a baby (even if few male skippers would risk telling the wife that). The culmination of many years of dreaming and penny pinching, the purchase of a boat of any size is a huge event for any sailor, and with that comes serious naming pressure. Many boatowners have a secret fear that someone else got their brilliantly original name first - or ruined it for ever by reducing its reputation to snigger-worthy opprobrium. Sometimes it's so difficult to name a boat that skippers are desperate enough to ask the sorts of people who think Boaty McBoatface would be a good choice... The perfect gift for any skipper or would-be skipper, and featuring hundreds of common and uncommon names, this entertaining little book will answer perhaps the most important question new owners should ask themselves: what will this name say about me? And as everyone knows, once you've named a boat, you never ever change it, so it also answers the question: what is my boat name saying about me? Names will be categorised and listed alphabetically within these chapters: - Pun Intended (some reveal a classic wit, others reveal just how many desperate unfunny dullards there are sailing around in yachts called Seas the Day) - Common as Muck (bad names - Moondancer, Wave Catcher and others that sound like names from a bad children's novel: where they come from, why they're bad, and how to avoid inventing another) - A Bit of Pedigree (good names - but probably too classy for you to get away with copying them) - Don't Even Go There (they might be uncommon these days, but sometimes there's a good reason for that) - Word Piracy (expressions borrowed from other languages - with varying degrees of wisdom) - Myths, Legends and Gods (inspired by heroes and deities of cultures now lost to the past) - The Devil's Own (don't tempt fate by calling your boat Invincible, as the Royal Navy did each time the last one sank/exploded - plus other superstition-violating names) With fascinating history, a fair bit of psychology and a lot of humour, this is the essential guide for all would-be boat owners, and anyone buying a gift for Dad for Father's Day or Christmas. ...Show more

P & O by Ruth Artmonsky

$22.99 NZD

Category: Nautical | Series: Shire Library 701

From humble beginnings in the 1830s, The Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company grew to dominate British mercantile shipping for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Initially the company's paddle steamers carried Her Majesty's Mail, as the name impliese, to the Iberian Peninsula, but over time P&O extended its routes across the Mediterranean and onwards to the Middle East, Far East and Australasia. Besides the mail, P&O liners carried spices, silk, tea, and even opium as well as passengers. P&O came to represent the British Empire at sea, and as the Empire waned and Britain took to the air, so a golden age of travelling by sea came to an end. This new book delves into the P&O archives to take a nostalgic  glance astern at all those who travelled P&O. ...Show more

Hunter Killers by Iain Ballantyne

$49.99 NZD

Category: Nautical

Official Royal Navy definition: HUNTER KILLER: a submarine designed to pursue and attack enemy submarines and surface ships using torpedoes. HUNTER KILLERS will follow the careers of four daring British submarine captains who risked their lives to keep the rest of us safe, their exploits consigned to th e shadows until now. Their experiences encompass the span of the Cold War, from voyages in WW2-era submarines under Arctic ice to nuclear-powered espionage missions in Soviet-dominated seas. There are dangerous encounters with Russian spy ships in UK waters and, finally as the communist facade begins to crack, they hold the line against the Kremlin's oceanic might, playing a leading role in bringing down the Berlin Wall. It is the first time they have spoken out about their covert lives in the submarine service. This is the dramatic untold story of Britain's most secret service. ...Show more

The Guide to Wooden Boats: Schooners, Ketches, Cutters, Sloops, Yawls, Cats by Benjamin Mendlowitz

$40.00 NZD

Category: Nautical