A marvellous read from a famous author, whose broad sailing experience makes the book quite enthralling, as well as hilarious at times as he describes the filming of John Huston's 'Moby Dick', phoney unseaworthy Pequod and all, Gregory Peck, master.

First edition. Very Good condition in clear plastic wrapping. see image for precis.

256 pp. many fine photos by the author

Villiers' books are quite remarkable for their sheer variety, and depth of research, with many illustrations and reminiscences from the author's own impressive life at sea.

The second image gives a summary of this classic work, first published 1937 and never out of print.

415 pp. soft cover approx 20 photos all by the author. B&W.

Fine condition

Villiers' books are quite remarkable for their sheer variety, and depth of research, with many illustrations and reminiscences from the author's own impressive life at sea.

Sea Stories from Old Van Diemen's Land.

Villiers first visited Tasmania in the barque "James Craig" !

He settled there, worked as a reporter for the Hobart Mercury and undertook voyages as crew when possible

The book is a series of true stories, his reminiscences of the time, in the 1920s

 In his flowing style, it is a fine read.

280 pp. hard cover, approx 20 photos by the author himself, an accomplished photographer.

Very Good condition, some curling of dust cover edges.

All in fair to very good condition .

Click on a thumbnail to view each title, and hover with the mouse to enlarge the image.

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code: HC = Hard Cover , SC = soft cover, pp.=pages, PH=photos,  F-fine condition VF=Very Fine

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How many books are genuinely hard to put down? This is one.

The thrilling tale of how Australia took the America's Cup, defeating the apparently bullet-proof Dennis Conner.

As much psychological as seamanly, written by a professional author whose skill adds enormously to the strength of the narrative.

see the second image for precis

A very satisfying read. Read it and pass it on, every recipient will thank you.

384 pp. hard cover over 12 photos B&W

Fine condition but dust cover ragged

see image for precis

as good a biography as you will ever read: from heroic endeavour to deep grief, the man achieved much and endured a great deal

well worth reading, written by a well respected author of many other sailing books listed here

286 pp. 30 photos in separate section.Very Fine Condition

140 pp. Hard cover Very Good condition ex-library

see image for precis

164 pp. hard cover Good condition apart from an unfortunate bend in rear cover resembling a broken back, still intact. Binding firm, pages unaffected.

Selected vessels are described and illustrated in detail, including our James Craig, and other Craig line ships. see images for Contents

Running away to Sea in the 20th Century!

see second image for precis.

A tale of high adventure by a young Scottish girl. 

Absorbing, to enjoy over a long read, between jobs,

240 pp. Hard Cover lavishly illustrated over 100 photos all B&W

First hand narratives by ships' masters of the day. Authentic contemporary accounts making for gripping reading.   A series of must-watch episodes as ii were a documentary film.

Great entertainment.

Very Good condition, some scuffing of dust cover and small  crease at top RHS

250 pp. hard cover some photos B&W.

The ship, launched by Adolf Hitler as "Horst Wessel" and used a a training ship for naval officers, was taken over after WWII by USA and renamed Eagle.

This is her story, full of drama and history

Fine condition, as new

The stirring tale of the history then abandonment then recovery and the massive task of complete restoration to full seaworthiness. The full story of one of SHF's finest possessions by one of the workers

Drawings, old documents 

Soft cover 90 pp. approx 100 photos mostly colour many "people" photos taken during restoration

Good condition apart from some slight curling of corners 

Large format, 336 pp. hard cover.  Some photos, ship plans. 6th edition completely revised, pub. 1969. A sequel to his best-selling book "Offshore". 

A renowned authority on large-yacht off shore racing, the author is ex-RN,  a marine architect, and winner of countless ocean races, including Sydney-Hobart.

The book is highly detailed, a virtual bible of how to design, build and win races with, large offshore sailing yachts.

A sought-after book

NOTE. THIS SECOND-HAND COPY HAS SOLD BUT THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE NEW: Go to "NEW BOOKS" in the menu above

 A book of  superb paintings of famous sailing ships, working sail from colonial times, warships and modern freighters  by Australian Oswald Brett. The author tells his own story: learning to paint in Sydney as a boy; war service at sea and global travels. Paintings of The Golden Hind, James Craig, Endeavour, the First Fleet, Queen Elizabeth, Cutty Sark, Bounty, Bismarck and many more.

There are paintings by other artists, John Alcott, Charles Pears, Anton Otto Fischer and Charles Robert Patterson.

Hard cover 192 pp. pub. 2014.     approx Square format  26 x 24 mm

The author's account of his astounding first: a voyage around the world, in 1895

296 pp. some hand drawings, maps. soft cover

 Fine condition with one crease across top RHS front

A tale of the  surprising survival of the author and his family, in their schooner attacked by killer whales in the Atlantic. Guaranteed thrilling read of the skill and determination of this one-time Scottish farmer.

222 pp. 10 photos, many very fine line drawings 

Very fine condition

see image for precis

An extraordinary account of a round the world yacht race by nine men, single-handed.

It didn't end well for most

It could be a novel but is not.

300 pp. 20 photos all B&W in centre section.

soft cover Very Good condition some creasing at corners of cover

notes from LibraryThing website

In 1968, nine sailors set off on the most daring race ever held: to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe nonstop. It was a feat that had never been accomplished and one that would forever change the face of sailing. Ten months later, only one of the nine men would cross the finish line and earn fame, wealth, and glory. For the others, the reward was madness, failure, and death. In this extraordinary book, Peter Nichols chronicles a contest of the individual against the sea, waged at a time before cell phones, satellite dishes, and electronic positioning systems. A Voyage for Madmen is a tale of sailors driven by their own dreams and demons, of horrific storms in the Southern Ocean, and of those riveting moments when a split-second decision means the difference between life and death.

see image for precis

Features our Lady Hopetoun!

A very pleasing study of vintage and veteran ships , sail and steam, from tugs to ferries to yachts and dredges.

two copies

1. Signed by the author Very Fine condition in plastic wrapper

2. very Fine condition

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The personal history of a master in the heroic days of tall-masted shipping  at its peak. 

3rd image gives precis

 288 pp. over 100 illustrations, some emotive colour paintings

Very Good condition. Slight tears in dust cover

A collectors piece of fine marine art and tall ship history.

Used, New condition 

Robert Carter collected data for this book for over 30 years.

An impressive collection including maritime paintings by the author.

It is an anthology of stories, anecdotes, poems, photographs and drawings depicting life, culture and activities in the last commercial sailing ships between the years 1906 and 1957 and is illustrated with 42  paintings.

Each work imparts a wonderful sense of motion in the sea and sails

The information  was recorded first-hand from the final generation of sailing ship mariners. As there are very few still living, this book will be the last to use the words of those who experienced life in these ships.

Format: Hardcover with a 128 gsm glossy art paper dust jacket.
Pages: 304, printed on 120 gsm wood-free paper
Colour: 51 colour plates and 35 photographs printed on 128 gsm glossy art paper.
Dimensions: 290 x 210 mm
Weight: 1.5 kg

Could be fiction but it isn't.

Saying "Must Read" is impolite, but you "Could Read" this story and be amazed and delighted.

A school teacher, seeking change, sets off from mid-Shropshire in his newly-acquired second-hand Mirror dinghy towards the river Severn, but somehow finishes up in Romania on the Black Sea.

see the image for precis.

paperback 350 pp. good condition. some sunning and small cover dents

222 pp. large format . hard cover.  Very Good condition, small dent and rough edges to dust cover, visible in image.

A pictorial album of tall ships at sea as of 2014.  Mainly photos all colour, some descriptive text.

see image for precis

" All you need to enjoy this book is an appreciation of good writing and thrilling stories".

448 pp. soft cover . 

very good firm condition no creasing. some slight scuffing of spine.

"Not tripe" Seamen's stories can seem unreal in a pub but these are true, and thrilling to use an over-worked word. But memorable. The reminiscences of a tall ship master, a man to be respected, judging by his portrait.

234 pp. 10 photos all B&W  published and reprinted 1934.

Hard to place a value on this historic volume, a first edition but undated,  at a guess, about 1920. It is well illustrated with over 60 finely-reproduced photos.

It is the personal and exciting reminiscences of 12 former sea captains in the heyday of sail, but as steam began to take hold.

252 pp. Fait condition, with some dents, discolouration of binding  and fraying. But no damage to contents. Uncut art paper, large print. A weighty significant book to provide years of pleasure.

Eighteen article drawn from 50 issues of the magazine published quarterly from 1978 to 1990 

192 pp. over 100 photos all colour.  Tables and drawings  index

Fine condition hard cover

David Salter lives in Sydney and is an independent TV producer and journalist with the Daily Telegraph and The Bulletin.

His autobiography is an instructive and enjoyable read.

Deeply researched and highly readable as a history of a tough occupation.

160 pp. many drawings maps and tables.

Fine condition

see images for details. 

162 pp. over 30 photos and maps and drawings

Fine condition. some slight scuffing of dust cover edges and toning of pages

A well-written enjoyable yarn gripping at times. Large clear type on heavy paper.

160pp. 0ver 15 illustrations paintings and photos

Good condition Some foxing of pages. 

An absorbing autobiography of the author's life at sea beginning as an apprentice in Liverpool 306 pp. 

15 photos all B&W  Very Good  condition, some marks on cover, small tears in dust jacket

An inspiring story

see image for precis

96pp. Fine condition. Lavishly illustrated

see images for precis

346 pp. Very good condition ex-library copy

see image for precis

Well-written and deeply researched,  a scholarly and readable study of a little known part of the shipping industry. "Blue Gum" refers to the material of their construction a fact viewed with some circumspection by Lloyds

260 pp. over 20 illustrations, photos and paintings

Good condition some sunning of pages. dust cover intact

A pictorial history of full-riggers. 

116pp. over 100 photos all B&W of ships, crews, ports storms at sea, life below, life above

Fine condition. Some sunning of spine. A book to pick up and browse at leisure 

see image for precis.

158 pp. some photos. Documents, itineraries and drawings

Very Fine condition, in clear plastic wrapper

The autobiography of a Norwegian boy who always wanted to go to sea.

with pen and ink drawings

160 pp. very fine condition

see image for contents

A master mariner's memoir of a life at sea and on lands far from home,  filled with adventure, fear, delight but always satisfaction at a job done well.

Reads like a thriller novel

250 pp. very good condition in firm binding, some sunning of binding edges.

Wonderful memoirs from several sea captains about their ships and fearful situations they found themslves in, around the world, from Bengal to Cape Horn to Australia and the West Indies.

Adventure described with skill; a rewarding read

200 pp.  8 illustrations drawings and paintings.

1st edition 1929 Good condition, firm binding, heavy sunning of spine

Superb action photos of the joys and fearful hardships endured by crewmen of the tall ships in their last days up to the end of WWI. The opening of Panama Canal which could not be traversed by sail was a major blow.

190 pp. over 120 very fine photos all captioned plus 40 pages of introductory text, also illustrated.

Fine condition in fitted clear plastic sleeve.

see image for precis

190 pp. over 100 photos, documents and drawings

Very Fine condition in clear plastic wrapper

Representing 45 years of roaming the world with camera, the collection is fascinatingly varied, from New Zealand to Singapore to Copenhagen.

A book to enjoy from time to time. Text introduction to each chapter of pictures from a part of the world, plus captions to each photo.

180pp. over 200 photos, mostly large format A4 size . A work of art

Very Fine condition, in clear plastic wrapper.

see image for precis

A "China Bird" was a skipper in the tea trade from China to Britain.

This is the story of one James Killick whose name survives as a partner in ship broking.

224 pp. over 100 photos, drawings, paintings, tables, letters and documents

A very well-written study of a high-stakes, exciting game.

Very Fine condition in plastic wrapper

see image for precis

An absorbing account of the Captain's career from 16 year-old apprentice to captain on square-riggers. The voyages  described in detail include one London - Sydney and Sydney - Newcastle.

A thoroughly satisfying read.

210 pp. some photos

Book Fine condition, dust cover fair condition in plastic wrapper

218 pp. hard  back cloth bound over 80 photos mostly colour Glossary Index

Fine condition dust cover some scuffing.

"An ideal book for the seafarer or the landlubber who craves the smell of Stockholm Tar.--who wishes to be whiled away by the sound of the wind in the sails of a square rigged ship."

Stories and pictures of the work of the men and ships of the great age of sail -- approximating that of "James Craig".

158 pp. index. approx 40 photos all B&W.

An absorbing read, and a book to pass on to others.

Very good condition. dust cover has some scuffing plus small tear one corner.

A photo album of scenes from all eras . Profusely illustrated, photos drawings paintings and maps. mostly B&W

Informative text.

122 pp. over 150 illustrations. 50 in colour

Very fine condition

Selections from Basil Lubbock "Sail"

A ship by ship history of some of the finest examples of the fully-rigged merchant vessesl from 1835 to Medway in 1902.

Illustrations, paintings, some colour,  and drawings.

A valuable and insightful record

160 pp.  hard cover

Very good condition, dust cover slight tear and scuffing.

206 pp. over 200 photos all B&W Historic photos collected by A D Edwardes from 1925 on,  photos dating from 1870s

A fascinating dip into history  especially the men of the times whose lives are vividly depicted. 

All Fine condition.

Enthralling in places, so evocative are  the pictures

Two editions in stock: see images for the difference, which is only in the design of the dust cover

make your selection below>

A gripping account of the "Brash Australian Challenges to the holy grail of yachting".

plus a short  history of the races the origins and the ships and crews. From 1851 to publication 1967, including Britain's Sceptre and Sovereign debacles.

Table of races from 1851 and glossary of sailing terms.

174 pp. over 100 photos some colour.  Tables and lists long index

Very good condition but some creasing and tearing of dust cover edges. A book not to be put down once started!

Foreword by Chay Blyth

A pictorial record of various aspects of ocean sail races

Descriptions of each ship and events.

158  pp. over 100 photos all colours.  Some drawings  ndex

Fine condition some curing of dust cover edges

The biography of a real mariner in the days of sail, set in many countries over many voyages in full-riggers.

pub 1987 Very  good condition dust cover. 200 pp. some photos B&W. Long index.

a good read for any follower of the sea and sailing

A large format pictorial describing tall ships generally and individual vessels. Foreword by HRH Duke of Edinburgh. Lovely pictures of some beautiful ships. When you see the crew (lots of them) tacking or furling sails it is a sobering thought that in the twenties and thirties they sailed with less than twenty men quite often !!!

160 pp. 200 photos all B&W. some fine drawings. A book to pore over.

Very Good condition

Four centuries of Western ships in the Pacific Ocean.

Many fine drawings approx. 100 beautifully detailed paintings mostly colour and maps

192 pp. Fine condition some creasing of dust cover margins.

An elegant and scholarly history

An absorbing history of yacht racing on Sydney Harbour.  Many photos of racing yachts especially the famous 18-footers and the spectator ferries 

174 pp. approx 120 photos all B&W.

Fine condition paperback

A virtual catalogue in very readable form of the finest in competitive yacht design

image show a typical chapter heading.

there is a chart of sail insignia, full index, full spec of each type

160 pp. over 200 photos mostly colour

Very Fine condition in perfect wrapper

no coffee table book!

210 p. hard cover index no illus. appendices of members, boats, events,  etc.

Fine condition dustcover good

210 pp. many drawings and photos

Good condition in plastic protector.

inscribed "T E Mort"

Tall ships in New Zealand waters. For 180 years from the early 19th century to the 1980s, shown in beautifully produced watercolour paintings and drawings 

48 pp. hard cover book very fine condition small tear in dust cover back.

"Forever  Faithful"

50 Years of the ocean greyhound Fidelis. . see precis on back cover

160 pp. full index pub. 2014. Very Fine condition

Her historic solo voyage told by herself in day-by-day detail

226 pp., over 30 photos mostly in colour

hard cover Fine condition some minor creasing of dust cover edges

190 pp. hard cover very good condition with laminated dust cover. three photo sections, many in colour.

the astonishing news story of June 1978 that a lone woman from an NZ sheep farming family had circumnavigated the globe via Cape Horn

stirring stuff

The epic gathering in 1976 in NY of tall ships of the world

approx.  200 pp. (not numbered). over 200 photos mostly colour

fair condition soft cover some scuffing and minor dent

A serious book about boat design, and building sailing techniques, navigation, wind scales

Well-illustrated with diagrams many photos all B&W 

300 pp. Hard Cover indexed Very Good condition with some scuffing of corners 

An amazing tale. How to cross the Arctic by kayak and sledge made by lashing two kayaks together, drawn by huskies.

312 pp.  photo sections all B&W published 1992

Very Good condition with only slight creasing to the top of the dust cover. Some sunning of page tops externally

326 pp. well-illustrated with photos B&W and diagrams. Some charts and tables. A very broad in depth study of sailing all over Australia and research into boat types and buidling and many of the author's experiences. Fully Indexed. Hard cover published 1980. A fine reference work

two copies: one  with dust cover one without.

Both good condition.

Choose you preference here>

274 pp. 32 photos B&W. Plans of vessel and charts.

hard cover.  The absorbing account of the author's brave voyage with his family and crew.

Very good condition tight binding some scuffing of corners