A Battle Won by S. Thomas Russell – A Review
August 11, 2010
The just released, A Battle Won by S. Thomas Russell, is classic nautical fiction – vivid, fast paced and full of drama, both on sea and land. Master and Commander Charles Hayden is a gifted naval commander with extremely bad luck. In the previous book, Under Enemy Colors, he found himself serving aboard HMS Themis, [...]
Read MoreSallee Rovers by M. Kei, A Review
July 21, 2010
Pirates of the Narrow Sea, Book 1 – Sallee Rovers by M. Kei is well written nautical adventure fiction with a twist or two, or perhaps three. The novel is not set during the Napoleonic wars and features, as the title suggests, Sallee Rovers, Barbary Coast corsairs, sailing from the Atlantic coast of what is [...]
Read MoreThe Merchandising Begins – Teen Sailor Jessica Watson’s Book and Album
July 15, 2010
Jessica Watson’s book True Spirit will be published in August in Australia and in October in the United States. It was also recently announced that she will be releasing an album as well. Fast work given that she only returned in the middle of May. Teen sailor Jessica Watson to release an album The young sailor claims that music helped her get [...]
Read MoreSchooner, Building a Wooden Boat on Martha’s Vineyard – A Review
July 13, 2010
In late May, we posted about the publication of a beautiful new book by Alison Shaw and Tom Dunlop, Schooner – Building a Wooden Boat on Martha’s Vineyard. We recently had the opportunity to read the book. Our review: Schooner – Building a Wooden Boat on Martha’s Vineyard details, in prose and photographs, the story of [...]
Read MoreJulian Stockwin’s Victory – A Review
July 3, 2010
We have fallen way behind in our book reviews. Until we catch up, here is a review of Julian Stockwin’s new novel, Victory, republished with permission from Astrodene’s Historic Naval Fiction. Astrodene Review: Victory by Julian Stockwin Victory starts off with a major setback for Kydd and keeps up a fast pace throughout which makes it another page turner [...]
Read MoreTrue Colours by Alaric Bond – Book Trailer
June 4, 2010
A book trailer for Alaric Bond’s new book, True Colours which we recently reviewed. True Colours
Read MoreBattle of Surigao Strait by Anthony P. Tully – a Review
May 30, 2010
A new look at the last battleship battle of World War II and perhaps of all time. A review by Steven Toby, republished with permission from the MarHst list. In this new book, Battle of Surigao Strait, author Anthony P. Tully mines some hitherto little known Japanese sources to create a more even-handed account of the Battle [...]
Read MoreFloating Gold by Margaret Muir – a Review
May 27, 2010
Margaret Muir’s new novel, Floating Gold, is a wonderful blend of classic Georgian naval fiction, a mystery/thriller and a grand treasure hunt. A rousing tale, well told. It is due to be released in the United States on May 31. It is currently available in the UK. Captain Oliver Quintrell is on the beach, [...]
Read MoreSchooner: Building a Wooden Boat on Martha’s Vineyard
May 25, 2010
I haven’t seen it yet but Schooner: Building a Wooden Boat on Martha’s Vineyard by Tom Dunlop, looks fascinating. From the publisher: Schooner takes you through the construction of Rebecca of Vineyard Haven, a sixty-foot wooden schooner designed and built by one of the few boatyards in the United States devoted exclusively to the design, construction [...]
Read MoreTrue Colours by Alaric Bond, a Review
May 18, 2010
Alaric Bond is a frequent contributor to the Old Salt blog. He is also a wonderful writer. His latest novel True Colours has recently been published. I liked it - a lot. A review: Alaric Bond’s new novel, True Colours, the third in his Fighting Sail series, is a fascinating and exciting look at a most [...]
Read MoreTupaia, Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator – A New Book by Joan Druett
May 13, 2010
I love when an author shines a new light on history that we all thought we already knew. Joan Druett in her new book Tupaia, Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator, appears to do just that. A sneak peak from Joan Druett’s website at the book,which should arrive in the US in November. Tupaia, Captain Cook’s [...]
Read MorePiracy and Maritime Crime: Historical and Modern Case Studies
May 5, 2010
The US Naval War College has published a collection of essays on Piracy and Maritime Crime: Historical and Modern Case Studies, edited by Bruce A. Elleman, Andrew Forbes, and David Rosenberg. The essays look at piracy around the world and throughout history ranging from Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary pirates in the 18th Century to the ongoing [...]
Read MoreSeized, A Sea Captains Adventures – Battling Scoundrels and Pirates while Recovering Stolen Ships in the World’s Most Troubled Waters
April 27, 2010
Max Hardberger’s Seized, a Sea Captains Adventures – Battling Scoundrels and Pirates while Recovering Stolen Ships in the World’s Most Troubled Waters is a fascinating account of one man’s remarkable career and personal journey. In addition to working professionally as a crop-duster, school teacher, lawyer, and ship’s captain, Max Hardberger developed the rather unusual specialty [...]
Read MoreFur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America
April 26, 2010
In 2007, Eric Jay Dolin wrote Leviathan, The History of Whaling In America, a wonderful book that follows the American whale fisheries from shore whaling, to the fleets of whale ships that sailed in every ocean, to the industry’s decline in the nineteenth century. Highly recommended. Dolan’s new book, Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of [...]
Read MoreThe Ship Hotel: A Grand View Along the Lincoln Highway
April 20, 2010
A new book details the history of a hotel built to look like an ocean liner perched high in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Ship Hotel has sailed, but a jaunty new book honors its history and heyday The story of the Ship Hotel is one of dreams fulfilled and dreams dashed, of a delightfully preposterous [...]
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