Selected by the Marine Society as Book of the Month for JULY 2009. “A cornucopia of fascinating facts from the Golden Age of Sail – wonderful for dipping into on a sunny summer’s day”

A ditty bag: A small bag used by seamen in days of old to store small items and personal treasures.

Full of fascinating facts and sea-lore, this book is Julian Stockwin’s own ditty bag of wonders from the Golden Age of Sail. Ranging from the heroic voyages of discovery in the fifteenth century through the iconic Napoleonic Wars to the glorious era of the greyhounds of the sea, the clipper ships, he celebrates and explores a colourful world we will never see again.

Drawing on his own experience in the Navy, both on the lower deck and as an officer he spans a variety of topics - Nautical Facts & Feats; Sea Explorers, Discoverers & Inventors; The Sailors’ Wooden World; Briny Beliefs & Superstitions and Maritime Misfortunes. Scattered throughout are Salty Sayings, phrases inherited from the sea and very much in use today such as ‘high and dry’, ‘the coast is clear’ and ‘first rate’. Also included is Stockwin’s Top 25 Maritime Museums and Historic Ships around the world for anyone who wishes to explore further.

Charmingly illustrated with nostalgic black and white drawings, both old salts and nautical novices will delight in this entertaining and eclectic miscellany.

Ebury Press. ISBN 978 009 193 066 0