The evolution of this practice into today's tradition of breaking a bottle of wine against the bow of a ship before launch, still symbolising sacrifice, is explored as well as the now widely practised custom of inviting ladies to name and launch new ships.

Joint book of the Book of the Month April 2024. This carefully researched work providing an overview of the strategic factors dominating the costly yet war-winning Arctic convoy programme will be welcomed by experts and laymen alike.

Joint book of the Book of the Month April 2024. Between 1941 and 1945, more than eight hundred shiploads of supplies were delivered to the Soviet Union protected by allied naval forces. Each journey was a battle against the elements, with turbulent seas, extreme cold, and the constant dread of torpedoes

The Book of the Month March 2024. A True Account tells the unforgettable, interleaved stories of two women in different worlds, both shattering the rules of their own society, both daring to risk everything to go forge their own adventure. 'A feast for the sea-loving senses.' - Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary

Photographer Gill Shaw’s new book, Canal Boat Lives, celebrates the variety of people living aboard boats.

The Book of the month February 2024. The First British Empire is an authoritative, highly readable and substantial account of the origins, growth and transformation of the British Empire from its European beginnings until the aftermath of the American Revolution.