Product Description

Know the difference between a Tail Jigger and a Handy Billy?
Ever needed a valid excuse to shout "Shove Off"?
A delight for aspiring seamen and seasoned sailors alike, this nostalgic
gem is a beautiful reproduction of the pocket book issued to all new
ratings of the Royal Navy in 1943.
For all those who have ever wondered how to correctly sling a hammock or
fancied ordering their own crew to "Toss your oars", this handbook explains
the terms, skills and conventions of ship board life; a life that required
a common language and where failure to respond to orders instantly could
mean the difference between life and death.
Charming period prose is combined with illustrations covering everything
from Morse code, semaphore signs and knot tying to handy expressions and
tobacco regulations.
If you have ever imagined yourself uttering the immortal words, "Hoist
away!" then read on. Make an impression with a vast array of nautical
knowledge. And remember that no true seaman hoisted his sails without a box
of biscuits on standby.
With an introduction by one of Britain's leading maritime historians, this
reproduction is a real mixture of wartime nostalgia and historical
authenticity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7347 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

Synopsis
At the height of the Second World War this small pocket-book was issued to all ratings on board ships of the Royal Navy. In straight period prose it outlines all the basic expressions and tasks a seaman needed to know to perform his duties efficiently. Chapters are broken down into: Sea Terms; Navigation; Steering the Ship; Rigging; Anchors and Cables; Boatwork; Miscellaneous (which includes details on uniform and folding a hammock, etc); and Ship Safety. Functional black line illustrations are used throughout, as well as a few pages of colour (used sparingly) for flag recognition. Faithfully reproduced, with a short introduction by Brian Lavery, which explains the importance of a book like this to a navy that had to take on vast numbers of civilians or Hostilities. Only men to meet the manning needs of the war, this volume provides a real mixture of wartime nostalgia and historical authenticity. It makes a world now lost to us accessible again, explaining as it does the terms, skills and conventions of ship board life, a life that required a common language, and where failure to respond to orders instantly could mean the difference between life and death.

The book is sure to appeal to those who served in the war as well as the current generation who are becoming increasingly interested in the role their grandparents, fathers and uncles played during that time.

About the Author
Brian Lavery was, until recently, Curator of Naval History at
The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and is a renowned expert on the
sailing navy. Currently residing in the maritime `capital' of London -
Greenwich, Brian's earlier title for Conway, Nelson's Navy, The Ships, Men

and Organisation 1793-1815, is an international bestseller and was used as
a technical reference by Peter Weir and his crew during the filming of
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Brian is also the author of The Island Nation: A History of Britain and the
Sea, published in conjunction with the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
and VisitBritain, as the official book of the SeaBritain2005 celebrations.
He also wrote Churchill's Navy, published Winter 2006

Customer Reviews

Excellent reprint
This book is a reprint of a genuine admiralty pocketbook for the average seaman. It seems to be a very faithful reproduction, the hardcover binding is excellent, and the size is very convenient.

It was written to explain the most important aspects of seamanship to a total novice, a book he could tuck into his pocket and refer to if he was uncertain about something. There are no arcane terms or information that you can't find anywhere else, but it does contain all the non-specialist knowledge a seaman would need.

I personally find it very useful as a reference handbook, if there is some term or idea I'm not sure about I can check the index or the chapter list and I'm sure to find it.