The Nautical Cyclopedia
A compendium of facts, data, definitions, descriptions, information, and trivial knowledge about ships, boats, and man’s commercial and recreational involvement with the sea. More than a simple dictionary of words.
Softcover with color covers, 6 x 9 vertical
136 pages, 133 color photos, 30 black & white photos
ISBN: 1-883056-01-2
About This Book
This book is a compendium of facts, data, definitions, descriptions, information, and trivial knowledge about ships, boats, and man’s commercial and recreational involvement with the sea. More than a simple dictionary of words, this volume is a blend of terms and phrases used by marine architects, ship building consultants, naval personnel, merchant seamen, oceanographers, and the like.
Unlike technical works compiled for those who are already experts in the industry, The Nautical Cyclopedia tells it like it is, in plain English, using language which the average reader can understand, and drawing analogies from everyday life in order to establish a visual field of reference. Also included are alternative spellings, proper pronunciations, usage examples, synonyms, antonyms, and comparatives.
Thus a bulkhead is compared to a wall, a deck is called a floor, a ladder is equivalent to a staircase, a porthole is defined as a window, and metacentric height . . . well, not everything can be described in everyday terms.
Arranged alphabetically, and fully cross-referenced for ease in locating relative terms that are part of the explanation, many terms are illustrated from the author’s store of photographs, many of which were taken on sunken ships in a variety of underwater environments, thus adding a new dimension to the written meaning.
The Nautical Cyclopedia is the book for those who are gripped by the lore of the sea, divers, history buffs, armchair explorers, ship enthusiasts, readers of nautical tales, and people of all ages. This handy reference manual is an indispensable guide through the esoteric terminology of the mariner’s trade.