Marco Polo was the most famous traveller of his time. His voyages began in 1271 with a visit to China, after which he served the Kubilai Khan on numerous diplomatic missions. On his return to the West he was made a prisoner of war and met Rustichello of Pisa, with whom he collaborated on this book. The accounts of his travels provide a fascinating glimpse of the different societies he encountered. He tells the story of the holy shoemaker, the wicked caliph and the three kings, among a great many others, evoking a remote and fascinating world with colour and immediacy.

(Marco Polo's writings were shrouded in controversy for many years as many people claimed he never actually reached China. However, recent research has confirmed that Marco Polo did indeed reach the fabulous domain of Khubilai Khan)

This beautiful illustrated coffeetable book includes magnificent reproductions of art and artifacts as well as insightful captions, footnotes, and excerpts from pertinent works of history and literature.

NZ$60.00 + Delivery.

This revised and updated book traces the history of charts as eloquent witnesses to the discovery of the world beyond Europe, and to man’s evolving knowledge of the oceans. These charts expressed man’s passionate feeling for the sea: the gilded compasses, the nightmarish sea-creatures, the stately ships, the royal crests – all these were fused into a unique artistic practice, which flourished for four centuries.

Featuring new photography of the British Library’s most important maritime maps.
Charting the Oceans is the definitive guide to this majestic art form.

NZ$50.00 + Delivery.

Travelling along the British coastline, Sea Charts of the British Isles showcases a beautiful collection of charts containing a wealth of information about Britain's maritime history and the story of charting and surveying itself. The great names in British chart-making are all included, such as Captain Greenvile Collins, Professor Murdoch Mackenzie and his nephew of the same name, Graeme Spence and William Bligh who between them created the first structured attempts to survey and chart particular areas of the coast of mainland Britain as well as the more remote islands.

Examples include several from Collins' 'Great Britain's Coastal Pilot', such as charts of Edinburgh and the Forth, the Orkney Islands, the coast of Ireland and the River Thames; the Chart of the Coast of Wales in St George's Channel and that of Milford Haven by Lewis Morris; The River Clyde and Glasgow by John Watt; and the Observation by Trinity House Pilots and Surveyors of the Downs covering the coast of Kent and the Goodwin Sands, as well as charts by other well-known European chart-makers such as the magnificent example of the Coast of England from Dover to the Isle of Wight showing the Cinque Ports by Lucas Janszoon Wagenaer that dates from 1583.

The author has researched maritime archives such as the Admiralty Library, the National Maritime Museum, the Pepys Library, the UK Hydrographic Office and the National Archives to reveal their unseen nautical records and portray the development of the sea chart.

NZ$35.00 + Delivery.

Through this magnificent collection of historical maps, travel writer Francisca Matteoli takes us on a geographical adventure, telling the stories of twenty-three places and voyages that inspired her, as they inspired the creation of these fascinating charts. Discover some of the world's most magical places and how they revealed themselves, from the lost trails of the first colonies of the American West to Amundsen's exploration of the South Pole, and the rediscoveries of Petra and Angkor Wat. This unexpected volume will let the curious mind roam the contours of the planet, and discover how the world we know today was made, and un-made.

Map stories include: The incredible rediscovery of the lost city of Petra, The mystery of Machu Picchu, The search for the source of the Nile, The pioneers of the North American West. The untamed island of Madagascar, The footsteps of T. E. Lawrence 'of Arabia' and many others.

NZ$65.00 + Delivery.

While literally hundreds of books exist on the subject of "cartographic" maps, "The Art of Illustrated Maps" is the first book to fully explore the world of conceptual, "imaginative" mapping.

Author John Roman refers to illustrated maps as "the creative nonfiction of cartography," and his book reveals how and why the human mind instinctively recognizes and accepts the artistic license evoked by this unique art form. Drawing from numerous references, "The Art of Illustrated Maps" traces the 2000-year history of a specialized branch of illustration that historians claim to be "the oldest variety of primitive art." This book features the dynamic works of many professional map artists from around the world and documents the creative process as well as the inspirations behind contemporary, 21st-century illustrated maps.

Was NZ$75.00 + Delivery.
Now NZ$35.00 + Delivery.

This book dives deep into the exciting history of the European World Map and the very creation of our own worldview, as the earth was first depicted in maps. In doing so it opens up a fascinating narrative of discovery and cartography, relating not only to geography, trade, ideology and political power, but also to the histories of art and science: what do historical maps tell us of our own perception of the world, and of places and people that are foreign to us? Who were the makers of these early world maps? How were these precious objects created, and for whom were they drawn and printed? For what purpose were they used and what kind of information did they pass on?

Rigorously researched by award-winning non-fiction writer Marjo T. Nurminen, and informed by the latest academic findings, The Mapmaker’s World gives us a revealing and captivating perspective on the development of European maps of the world from the early Middle Ages up until the modern period and ambitiously showcases all of the early European word map traditions: Medieval world maps, Ptolemy’s maps; seafarer’s maps, as well as printed world maps and globes from the pre-renaissance through the Baroque era, t the Dutch Golden Age and beyond.

Presented in a splendid deluxe format, The Mapmaker’s World also brings to life those exciting times when many of these historical maps were rediscovered in the 19th century, after centuries of oblivion. Written in a style closer to an exciting narrative, rather than a catalogue or an encyclopaedia, this book takes the reader on the ultimate voyage of discovery.

Was NZ$95.00 + Delivery.
Now NZ$50.00 + Delivery.

An ancient Chinese proverb suggests, "They are wise parents who give their children roots and wings - and a map." Maps That Changed the World features some of the world's most famous maps, stretching back to a time when cartography was in its infancy and the 'edge of the world' was a barrier to exploration. The book includes details of how the Lewis and Clark Expedition helped map the American West, and how the British mapped India and Australia. Included are the beautifully engraved Dutch maps of the 16th century; the sinister Utopian maps of the Nazis; the maps that presaged brilliant military campaigns; charted the geology of a nation; and the ones that divided a continent up between its European conquerors.

Organised by theme, the book shows the evolution of map-making from all corners of the globe, from ancient clay maps, to cartographic breakthroughs such as Harry Beck's map of the London underground. There are also famous fictional maps, including the maps of the lost continent of Atlantis and Tolkien's Middle Earth.

NZ$36.00 + Delivery.

The world took shape through the development of the sea chart and its visual representation of European exploration and trade, conquest and colonization. While the early maps and charts are absorbing in their often fantastic and distorted views of newly discovered lands, the surveying work in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries by men such as Cook, Vancouver and Flinders, in small open boats along treacherous stretches of coastline, intrigue and make us wonder just how they achieved such extraordinary levels of accuracy.
This book examines the history of the sea chart in both aesthetic and scientific terms. The illustrations include the early portolan charts of the fifteenth century, original manuscript charts of Europe, India and the Orient, and nautical maps that show the medieval view of the known world. Others illustrate the ships’ tracks of the Arctic and Antarctic explorers, the buccaneer’s view of colonial South America and the meticulous surveys of the coastlines of North America and Australia. Pages are further enhanced with navigational views, extracts from master’s remark books and sailing directions and accounts of voyages.
This second edition has been expanded to include more than 40 further illustrations. They add to our understanding of the medieval world that intrepid explorers from Spain, Portugal and then Holland, France and Britain charted. Groping their way across the oceans with discovery after discovery they threw back the boundaries of geographical knowledge, presenting them to an eager Europe of monarchs, princes, traders and thinkers.

NZ$50.00 + Delivery.

The text explores who the mapmakers were, the purposes for which the maps were made, and what it tells us about the politics of the time. Great images are accompanied by compelling stories. Featured is a woodcut map of 16th Century London, a map of where the bombs fell during the Second World War, and a map the first American settlers' drew when they were attempting to establish a new empire on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina.

Richly illustrated with large scale reproductions of the maps, the book also includes some of the more amusing or esoteric maps from the National Archives, such as the map of the Great Exhibition in 1851 that was presented on a lady's glove, a London Underground map in the form of a cucumber, and a Treasure Island map used to advertise National Savings.

This is a fascinating and unusual journey through the world of maps and mapmakers.

NZ$75.00 + delivery.

NZ$80.00 + Delivery.

A modern, objective appraisal of the development of seamanship among the major navies of the world from the 17th to the 19th century.

Numerous successful reprints of contemporary works on rigging and seamanship indicate the breadth of interest in the lost art of handling square-rigged ships. Modelmakers, marine painters and enthusiasts need to know not only how the ships were rigged but how much sail was set in each condition of wind and sea, how the various manoeuvres were carried out, and the intricacies of operations like reefing sails or 'catting' an anchor. Contemporary treatises such as Brady's Kedge Anchor in the USA or Darcy Lever's Sheet Anchor in Britain tell only half the story, for they were training manuals intended to be used at sea in conjunction with practical experiences and often only cover officially-condoned practices.

This book, on the other hand, is a modern, objective appraisal of the evidence, concerned with the actualities as much as the theory. The author has studied virtually every manual published about seamanship over a period of nearly four centuries. This gives the book a completely international balance and allows him to describe for the first time the proper historical development of seamanship among the major navies of the world.

NZ$110.00 + Delivery.

This book illustrates and explains the more than century of bitter conflict, against which, the Navy rose to unprecedented prominence. For those serving at sea, it was a world apart: from the food and drink they consumed to the terrifying realities of battle in the age of sail. But Naval affairs also had immediate relevance for the people ashore - male and female, young or old, rich and poor. At times of crisis they tutned to the Navy as their last line of defence against powerful and determined enemies. In moments of success they marked its victories with celebrations that stretched from country fairs to city crowds...

Published to accompany a long-term gallery at the National Maritime Museum, this book highlights many key objects from the gallery and includes previously unseen material.

A beautiful, lavishly illustrated volume

NZ$50.00 + Delivery.

This is what Dava Sobel, the author of Longitude thinks about this book:
"This is a fearless book that has crested waves an tasted salt. Its compass measures as wide as the sea itself, stretching from the dawn of navigation by sun and stars up to the time when the wireless telegraph was adapted at sea. As one would expect - as one would hope - the author, Donald S,Johnson, is experienced not only as a historian but also as a sailor who has crossed the Atlantic single-handedly in a small boat several times. To read The History of Seafaring is to voyage vicariously through 3000 years of maritime history with no fear of getting lost"

NZ$99.00 + delivery.

By Sam Jefferson. Hardback, 1.23kg, 220mm x 285mm, 230 pages, full colour photographs, maps and illustrations.

In the era of commercial sail, clipper ships were the ultimate expression of speed and grace. Racing out to the gold fields of America and Australia, and breaking speed records carrying tea back from China, the ships combined beauty with breathtaking performance.

With over 200 gorgeous paintings and illustrations, and thrilling descriptions of the adventures and races on the water, first-hand accounts, newspaper reports and log entries, this is a fascinating, and beautiful, look at the elegance and drama of the racehorses of the sea. Chapters include and explore:

The Cutty Sark's longest voyage.

NZ$60.00 + delivery.

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BRITAIN'S HISTORIC SHIPS.
By Paul Brown, Hardback, 220m x 285mm, 208 pages, full colour and monochrome photographs.
From Dundee to Plymouth, the Bristol Channel to the Thames, Britain's ports and waterways display an exceptional collection of preserved ships and boats. This historic fleet ranges from the mighty First Rate ship-of-the-line Victory to humble harbour craft. The oldest is the salvaged hull of the 500-year-old Mary Rose; the youngest is the guided-missile destroyer, HMS Bristol. What unites them is that they are the last of their kind, which, due to the diligent work of trusts and individuals, have undergone intensive restoration to maintain them for posterity. Some are now in private ownership, but the majority are open to the public, and each one has a unique story to tell.
There are those that have taken part in great naval battles and campaigns - Trafalgar, Jutland and Gallipoli, D-Day and Dunkirk, Korea, the Falklands and the Gulf War. Others represent supreme feats of engineering such as the steamship Great Britian, and great leaps in ship technology such as HMS Warrior. Some, such as the clipper ship Cutty Sark, took part in the legendary tea races, or were involved in exploration, such as Scott's polar research ship Discovery. Then there are the innumerable little vessels that plied their trade in and around the coasts of Britain - sailing barges, ketches and coasters - and the paddle steamers which brought holiday-makers to the sea-side and which are still available for excursions today on the Scottish lochs and English rivers. Together they represent the very best of our maritime heirtage, to be enjoyed by all. Their histories and preservation are all failthfully documented and a list of web addresses is provided for opening times and further details. In addition to the featured ships and boats, an appendix lists a further 50 vessels (of 60 feet or more) in the Core and Designated Lists of the National Historic Ships Register with their location.

NZ$50.00 + delivery.

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VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY.
By Tony Rice. Paperback, 1.24kg, 215mm x 254mm, 336 pages, full colour illustrations.
Voyages if Discovery is a mesmerising visual record of ten of the most significant natural history expeditions.
Superb artworks and photographs spanning three centuries document advances and watersheds in the field of natural science. The stories behind these images - of explorers, naturalists, artists and photographers - entwine into a fascinating study of human achievement and natural wonder.
Among the many stories of adventure and great scientific endeavour are: Sir Hans Sloan's journey to Jamaica in 1687; James Cook's perilous Pacific crossings; and Darwin's historic voyage aboard the HMS Beagle.
Handpicked from the vast Library of the Natural History Museum, London, the illustrations and artworks contained here form a rare collection, most of which are exclusively presented in this stunning book.

NZ$50.00 + Delivery

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A SAVAGE HISTORY. Whaling in the Pacific and Southern Oceans
By John Newton. Hardback, 0.9kg, 195mm x 235mm, 310 pages, monochrome and full colour illustrations. Published in 2013.
Nothing prepares you for your first sight of the world's largest mammal
celebrated, revered, studied and increasingly watched for pleasure rather than hunted, whales hold particular allure. Humans have always been in awe of them, but for much of history we have been complled to dominate and kill them - though like Moby Dick, sometimes whales fight back.
A Savage History tells the rich history of whales and whaling. We learn about these highly intelligent and magnificent reatures, and folow the stories of whalers from the eighteenth century who hunted their prey along the coasts of Austalia and New Zealand, across the Pacific and into the Southern Ocean. The result is a powerful account of a complex and bloody relationship. Although the modern era has seen the end of industrial whaling, as John Newton shows, the work of those who want to protect whales is far from over.

NZ$65.00 + delivery.

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PILOTS, The World of Pilotage Under Sail and Oar.
Vol 1: Pilot Schooners of North America and Great Britain;
Editor & Principal Author Tom Cunliffe. Hardback, 240mm x 310mm, Vol 1: 343 pages,2.2kg. Full colour and monochrome photographs and drawings, and lines plans.
This truly magnificent book is part of a two volume series (Sadly, Part 2 is unavailable) giving a detailed, fully illustrated history of pilotage and pilot vessels. All aspects of piloting are covered. Volume 1 encompasses the thrilling pilot schooners of North America and their British counterparts.
This book is lavishly illustrated with full page and double page, full colour reproductions of contemporary paintings and prints, and early photographs and line drawings.
Of unique technical value to the marine model-maker and artist are numerous dimensioned lines plans of many of the pilot vessels.
A well-researched narrative by a renowned marine technical writer and commentator is supported by the many illustrations.
This book answer many needs of the marine sailing ship enthusiast.

Volume 1: Pilot Schooners of North America and Great Britain.
NZ$190.00 + delivery.

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SHIP - A HISTORY IN ART & PHOTOGRAPHY.
By Andrew Lambert. Hardback, 2.23kg, 248mm x 287mm, 378 pages, full colour and monochrome illustrations and paintings. Published 2010.
This book brings together 360 of the most celebrated ships in history and fiction in one stylishly produced volume. Each has a unique tale to tell, the dramatic stories immortalized in evocative artworks or documented in startling photography. Themes include exploration and scientific discovery, mutiny and piracy, shipwreck, cannibalism and survival. Ships that excelled in battle or were lost in devastating circumstances are represented, along with those that heralded revolutionary developments in maritime and naval architecture. International in scope, the book uses a signature image of each ship as a starting point with explanatory text from experts in the fields of sailing warships, battleships, ancient and medieval vessels, expeditionary ships, liners and famous literary ships. While each has a fascinating story to tell, together they make up not just a history of the ship, but also of human progress, imagination and tragedy.

NZ$65.00 + Delivery

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Gift Books Page seven. HISTORY AND REFERENCE

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