Ours is the 1979 Paladin Books edition from Granada Publishing and is an absolute goldmine of information, edification and entertainment. 

Not a small volume, it nonetheless holds a very special place in our library, as being a worthwhile contribution to the boat's slowness, caused by our determination to live as we wish and get there when we get there...if you really can't have it on board, at least you can dip into it when ashore! 

Amazon have several copies of The Oxford Companion To Ships And The Sea on offer.

The 2nd Edition was recently purchased by a friend of ours who is re-building a catamaran which fell foul of a hurricane. He  bought his copy at Budget Marine in Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, for US$33 and it is packed with information, specifications, drawings, photographs and contacts. 

If you're thinking of purchasing a multihull, or looking for ideas for interior layouts on a self-build multihull, you may well benefit from acquiring a copy of Sailor's Multihull Guide which we have established is currently available through Amazon.

This book was designed as a lexicon and companion to the wonderful sea-faring books of Patrick O'Brian. 

Since Patrick O'Brian's novels are so popular, precisely because of his adherence to historical facts and correct information in all but the activities of the heroes of the books and their immediate acquaintances,  A Sea Of Words is, in fact, a wonderful accumulation of naval history, geography and medical terms explained in full. 

It has not only  made reading the O'Brian books so much more rewarding but A Sea Of Words also turned out to be first-rate reading in itself. There is a brief review of Patrick O'Brian's novels on the A Good Read page in the first issue of MarineZine.

First Aid For Yachtsmen - Emergencies and aftercare by Dr. Robert Haworth - ISBN 0229115497

Our copy is a small Adlard Coles hardback published by Granada Publishing Limited in 1975. Any boat which is intended to sail away from land, even on short trips, should have a minimum of first aid equipment aboard and the skipper should have a basic grounding in immediate first-aid techniques. 

Ideally a short course is the way to learn but this book gives a fair grounding to those who have not had the opportunity to attend a course and is a good refresher for those who have. It can also act as a warning of what can happen to an individual aboard and help to instill proper caution...

A search of Amazon's vast hoard of books did not, unfortunately, turn up any copies of this rather good little book. Perhaps you know of one that is equally worthwhile?

This is another excellent book to have aboard in case of medical troubles and goes further than First Aid. Our copy is the 1980 hardback edition from the Nautical Publishing Company Limited of Lymington in the UK. 

It is a small  square volume written by a doctor who is also a good sailor, has sailed round Cape Horn and is married to a good sailor. They have three children who also sail.

Unfortunately, Amazon don't seem to have any copies of this book either...

Our copy is the 1980, 2nd edition  paperback published by Adlard Coles. Naturally we do not expect it to furnish us with up-to-the-minute legal knowledge but it still contains plenty which has not changed and food for thought besides. 

If any reader can tell us of an update or other useful volume concerning Maritime law for yachtsmen, we would be obliged...

Meanwhile, Amazon have a few copies of the same edition of Sea Lawyer but we have to say the lowest price on this one is high enough to require a first aid book close at hand if your finances are anything like ours...