Adlard Coles Book of Navigation

Publisher: Adlard Coles Nautical, 3rd ed., £12.99
Publication Date: 2008

Everything you reasonably want to know about navigating small craft is here. Starting with an explanation of charts, it moves logically on through position fixing, tides, and pilotage. The layout is clear, and coloured illustrations and photos reinforce the text admirably. It is pleasing to see electronic navigation dealt with in some detail early on in the book and not tucked in at the end. There is a whole chapter on radar, plenty of detail on chart work and the section on calculating secondary ports (an area of difficulty for many of us) was clear and easily understood. On the downside, however, there are no practice exercises or end of chapter tests which can be so useful in reinforcing learning. There is a lot packed into this surprisingly slim book, (170 pages) and it surely raises the bar for other books on navigation. It is sufficiently confident in its subject to raise questions about when detailed navigation is not necessary, or even desirable. Even experienced navigators will find this authoritative and modern book enjoyable and informative. - James Parnell