Nautilus Bookshop
Welcome to the Nautilus Bookshop – a collection of great reads to enjoy at sea and ashore. A partnership between Marine Society and Nautilus International, the bookshop stocks recent releases on a range of maritime topics, including ship histories, seafarer memoirs, studies of the Merchant Navy in wartime and even the occasional nautical novel.
The Book of the Month will feature a special discount during its respective month. All the books here have been reviewed in the Nautilus Telegraph, and new titles are added each month.
If you have a recently-published maritime book that you would like the Nautilus Telegraph to consider for review, please email: [email protected]
Featured products
Hello Sailor! The hidden history of gay life at sea
£38.00
When gays had to be closeted, ships were the only places where homosexual men could not only be out but also camp. And on some liners to the sun and the New World, queens and butches had a ball. They sashayed and minced their way across the world's oceans.
Pulling Together: The Making of a Global Maritime Trade Union
£19.99
The Book of the Month January 2024. This in-depth history will be of great interest to anyone with an interest in maritime or trade union history. The history of Nautilus is also of relevance to all unions organising in an increasingly globalised and unstable labour market. Ilustrated with 50b/w and 20 colour photos.
Meteorology for Seafarers, 6th Edition
£70.00
Meteorology for Seafarers is a technical book which aims to explain the complexities of the atmosphere and provide the information needed for professional seafarers aspiring to first class certificates of competency.
Tugs and Towing Around Britain
£15.99
The book features previously unpublished photographs from the author’s collection accompanied by informative captions.
The Rescue Ships and The Convoys
£25.00
Book of the month December 2024. The Rescue Ships and The Convoys : Saving Lives During The Second World War.
Blowing Hot and Cold
£19.99
Thermotank and the Story of Air Conditioning at Sea. The Book of the month November 2024.
Sailing Ships from Plastic Kits
£25.00
Despite their ease of assembly, plastic models of sailing ships, like the ships themselves, are complicated to build. Heavily illustrated in colour throughout, this book is an ideal addition to the purchase of any plastic ship kit. It describes and demonstrates techniques unique to plastic sailing ship models, allowing the construction of authentic and personally satisfying models.
Sea, Sand and, Katrina
£9.99
The novel follows the challenge of getting "Princess Katrina", seaworthy for the cruising season by Ben Sharpe, a former merchant navy officer and his family who live onboard.
Murder on the Holigan Express
£5.95
Murder on the Holigan Express: It's a Ferry Story
Ocean Liners: A New History
£25.00
Nautilus Telegraph's book of the month for January 2025
Operation Title: Sink the Tirpitz
£22.00
This is a readable and at times moving account of Operation Title, the attempt to disable the German battleship Tirpitz in Norway using human torpedoes or “Chariots”.
Reeds Astro Navigation Tables 2025
£27.00 £30.00
10% OFF. This is the established book of annual astro-navigation tables compiled specifically for the needs of boaters.
Ship of Lost Souls: The Tragic Wreck of the Steamship Valencia
£25.00
NOT YET PUBLISHED. EXPECTED IN FEBRUARY 2025. The Book of the Month February 2025.
Survivors of Enemy Action: Experiences of Merchant Seamen, 1939 - 1945
£20.00
The Book of the month September 2024. Too many died before reaching land or being rescued. These men are without doubt the unsung heroes of the Second World War and this fine book is an overdue recognition of their sacrifices and courage.
Deep Seas and Tall Ships: A 21st Century Seaman's Account of a Lifetime of Deep Ocean Voyages
£12.95
The author's story begins in 1946. His 25-year span of service in UK Tall Ships ended in 2015.
The Promise of Freedom for Slaves Escaping in British Ships: The Emancipation Revolution, 1740-1807
£25.00
Although Africans and African Americans have been left out of most accounts of the Revolutionary years, this book pieces together their emerging path toward freedom.
The Royal Navy and Fishery Protection: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present
£25.00
Containing many first-hand accounts, this thought-provoking narrative will be of particular interest to all those RN personnel who have served in the Squadron, and is set to become the definitive account of this vital but often unsung component of Britain's naval forces, and its impact on national life.
The Pirate Menace : Uncovering the Golden Age of Piracy
£25.00
This new account explores the most notorious pirates in history and how their rise and fall can be traced back to a single pirate haven, Nassau. Angus Konstam, one of the world's leading pirate experts, has brought his 30 years of research to create the definitive book on the Golden Age of Piracy.
RMS Queen Mary : The World's Favourite Liner
£40.00
This new and expanded edition has been completely revised and brought up to date to describe the ship's last twenty-five years, and it incorporates a wealth of new photography. Book of the Month August 2024
Serving on the Big Ships : Life on the Liners
£35.00
It covers the last golden age of ocean liner travel, beginning in the 1950s and continuing into the 1970s and '80s. It reflects a pre-airline age-when passengers sailed from A to B, from port to port. Joint book of the month July 2024
Tales from Great Passenger Ships : A Jaunt Through Time
£18.99
From the escapades of passengers and crew to terrible disasters, infamous controversies and thrilling rescues, author and former Queen Mary entertainment officer Paul Curtis takes a nostalgic voyage through the history of seagoing. Joint book of the month July 2024
Sailing Through Life...
£18.99
Throughout the telling of Ardley’s tales, his story, sailing with family and friends, country walking and living life, he has maintained a normality.
Shipwrecks of the Solent
£15.99
Jones reveals the stories behind the shipping disasters in the Solent.
The Millennium Maritime Trade Revolution, 700-1700: How Asia Lost Maritime Supremacy
£35.00
This book continues to demonstrate how maritime trade has been the key driver of the world's wealth-creation, economic and intellectual progress.
200 Years of Lifesaving at Sea
£14.99
The Book of the month June 2024. With over 100 fascinating images from Mirrorpix, one of the world’s biggest photo libraries, 200 Years of Lifesaving at Sea is a testament to the brave folk who sailed and continue to sail towards danger, rather than away from it.