Nautical Literature
 

Call me old fashioned, a dinosaur, etc., but I watch very little TV, and even fewer movies. I prefer to read, with a liking for maritime history and maritime novels. A recent thread got me to thinking that there is probably a huge volume of stuff out there, good stuff, that I could dig into if I knew about it. So, I will harness the power of THT:

What maritime/nautical type books/articles/literature have you read that you liked?

Some of mine:

Moby Dick - Herman Melville
The Old Man & The Sea - Ernest Hemingway
All of Zane Gray's stuff
Two Years Before The Mast - Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
A Pirate Looks at Fifty - Jimmy Buffet (well, its sort of Nautical, he is a local boy made good, and his life is pretty darn entertaining)

That's a start, anyhow.

Big Al
Read all about it

Re: Nautical Literature
 

Number 1 on my list: The Old Man & The Sea - Ernest Hemingway

Re: Nautical Literature
 

Perfect Storm.......great, fishing, boats and nautical history..I read it 3 times :thumbsup:

RE: Nautical Literature
 

Add to those:

Jack Aubry series by Patrick O'Brian
The Richard Bolitho series by Alexander Kent
The Ramage series by Dudley Pope
These are all excellent fictitious novels revolving around the English and French conflicts during the Napolean era.

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Hungry Ocean - Linda Greenlaw ( different perspective of "The perfect Storm") Awesome book!
All fisherman are liars -Linda Greenlaw

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Coast Watching in World War II..- A.B. Feuer
civilians monitoring japanese shipping and aircraft activity, involving the battle of Guadalcanal..
short read but quite intriguing

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Clive Cussler has some good nautical fiction. There is another good novel I read last year called Plum Island that was recommended by a fellow THT'er.

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P.S. Buffet is a manatee lover (nothing wrong with that, I suppose) I have read all three of his books (stories) and burned them. PETA can have the ashes!

RE: Nautical Literature
 

Good stuff so far, thanks.

RickNC,

C'mon, lemme get at least half a page before the derailment begins ;?

Big Al

RE: Nautical Literature
 

We buy alot of books at the annual library sales. Time Life books did a series on ships, boats, yatchets etc., everything from the beginning to present day. If you can find them at a library sale you can get a good buy on them.
In The Heart of The Sea, Philbrick(rec. by THT)
Square Rigger Days, Armstrong - easy read about the heyday of sailing ships, clippers and windjammers.
Dana's "Two Years Before The Mast" has been mentioned, its a good read from a historical standpoint. Its supposed to be the first book written from the perspective of a sailor instead of an officer or observer.
Its a good historical peek at Coastal California.
There was a book mentioned on here that I purchased and read regarding a man who fished alot single handed Carlos Benitos(???). Some one may mention it. Its in Illinois right now I think, I can't find it here.

RE: Nautical Literature
 

katkt,

"A Crew of One: The Odyssey of a Solo Marlin Fisherman" - Carlos Benitos

A friend recommended that a few months ago. I'll be ordering it this evening ;cool;

Thanks Gordon.

Keep them coming folks, thanks for the input.

Big Al
at the library

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I like the John D. Macdonald Travis McGee mysteries. Enough water and good reading. All the titles have a color in them like "The lonly Silver rain"
thom

RE: Nautical Literature
 

There is a fishing guide down south of here in the Naples area I think, thats written some action books that spend a little time on the water. Randy Wayne White(or Wright?)

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I'm currently reading Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish. Its about Chilean Sea Bass, poachers, and pirates :)

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Excellent suggestions. I'd add Joseph Conrad, both novels and stories. Difficult to read at times, but profound. Most of his work, contrary to popular opinion, is not about the sea, but the best work is.

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Joshua SLocum - Sailing Solo round the World
Fastnet-Force 10
Storms and Ship Wrecks of New England

RE: Nautical Literature
 

Thanks to all, there are some great suggestions in here.


Big Al
literate (well, sort of)

Re: Nautical Literature
 

I waded thru "Lord Jim". It was well worth the time. I'll search out some more of his work in the future. :)

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"the bounty" by caroline alexander
"the pirates laffite" by william c. davis
"1421" by gavin menzies

RE: Nautical Literature
 

'The Pirates Lafitte' , there's an intriguing title.

Thanks cgrand.

Big Al

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"Shipkiller" by Justin Scott. I read it a long time ago, but would read it again if I could find it (it's out of print). A great tale of love lost, revenge, and sailing.

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I am not a big book reader but "American Promise", The story of solo sailor Dodge Morgans NONSTOP voyage around the world Bermuda to Bermuda.

The book has special meaning to me as I met Dodge within hours of his arrival & had a tour of the boat. The boat BTW is now owned by the US Naval Academy.

Re: Nautical Literature
 

Two I've read recently,

1) Sea Struck by W.H. Bunting ---- Great book about boat building and real life accounts of sea adventures back in the 1883 era.

2) Mysteries And Adventures Along the Atlantic Coast--- Edward Rowe Snow. ---- Great short stories, all true,,,, well maybe some about ghosts were embelished a bit but great stories nonethe less.

RE: Nautical Literature
 

Does anyone remember a book written by a guy who was adrift in the tropical atlantic for 70 odd days? He was sailing singlehandedly around the world, and the name of his boat (a sloop, if recall) was 'Napoleon Solo'. I think this happened in the early 80's????

Adrift???? Does that sound right?

Anyhow, I read it many years ago, and it always stuck with me, how he described his days in a rubber liferaft. Fascinating.

Big Al

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ALL the books by Tristan Jones.

http://www.tristanjones.org/

and the many books are here:
http://www.tristanjones.org/books.htm

If you love the sea, these can't be missed. About 75% true and 25% made up, these make for GREAT reading.

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Adrift! yup, that's it- fantastic book. also see sailing solo around the world up there, great book. the linda greenlaws are surprisingly good reads.

add
The Wreck of the Whaleship Essex
Fire on the Beach by Wright/Zoby
Knockdown (this one was so so)
South! (story of shackleton)
Red October

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Chesapeake by James Mitchner details the settling of the Chesapeake Bay area by the Colonials. One of my favorites.

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Many thanks, folks. Plenty here that I have not read. Should keep me intrigued through the rest of the year, at least!

Big Al

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The only non-fiction book i ever enjoyed-

Desperate Voyage A rea unbeliveable story you won't be able to out down. Whenever you get into some rough sh*t - think of this guy..you've heard that your boat can handle more than you - and after this book you will believe

RE: Nautical Literature
 

I believe the book was called Adrift by Stephen Callahan

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Callahan - that's the guy. Thanks Floundermeister.

Desperate Voyage - any idea who the author is?

Thanks again folks.

Big Al

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I jsut did a google search and came up with the following. I hope this is the book you are talking about

Desperate Voyage. By John Caldwell

RE: Nautical Literature
 

Any of the Hornblower series by E.M. Forrester.

Dreadnought, by Robert Massie (history)


Tom O

RE: Nautical Literature
 

A World of My Own by Robin Knox-Johnson -- about winning the first solo around-the-world sailing race -- and Sir Francis Chichester's many books are excellent. These books are modern classics of the sea and are available in paperback.

Warning: you might dump you powerboat and spouse and sail away forever if you read these books!

Another interesting book, believe it or not, is Bowditch. The text is written in a surprisingly readable, often literary manner. It does not read at all as if is a Federal government textbook. Parts may not be of interest, but overall this is a fun book.

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Red Sky in Mourning by Tami Oldham Ashcraft,
Great Non-Fiction about a young couple who got into a hurricane.

A Speck on the Sea by Longyard,
Short stories about the smallest boats to make ocean crossings. Some of these stories are truly amazing.

Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi

And

Capsized by James nalepka and Steven Callahan, If you liked adrift you'll probably like this one.

All Non-Fiction,

I've read dozens of boat books and I'm now learning to use a sextant!

Mike

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Many thanks once again.

samblate,

I've had Bowditch (American Practical Navigator) for over 25 years. Yes, it is actually readable, and he led a fascinating life. Brilliant dude.

Big Al

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You're a good man, Snapperhead. Anybody who is a friend of Bowditch is a friend of mine.

The best of him still lives in us.

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Katkt:

Randy Wayne White is a well known writer/adventurer/fisherman/boater/raconteur who has written numerous articles for Outside magazine as well as a number of books. He is quite the guy with a great writing style.

RE: Nautical Literature
 

http://www.parlezmoipress.com/Sheep1.htm

F/V Black Sheep

This is a perfect boat for the THT crowd!

If you like hy-jinks with the "coasties".... you'll like this book!

If you want to know how to kill wharf rats.... you'll like this book!

If you want to know what happens when you take your maiden voyage of your new boat alone across open ocean ....you'll like this book!

If you want to know how to lower the price of your next purchase(If you're buying a boat in Nova Scotia) ....you'll like this book!

If you want to know what happens when an empty tanker tries to run you down 100 miles offshore...You'll like this book!

If you want to know what happens when you rescue a female wind surfer....You'll like this book!

If you want to know great ways to play jokes on tourists...You'll like this book!

Did I say I like this book?

Dispite the fact that I took the picture for the book cover I bet you'll like the book!

RE: Nautical Literature
 

Jay A,

Yeah, but will I LIKE the book? :grin:

Big Al
Black Sheep