#usefull books aboard

[ltwilliammowett]

Officers and Books

I had written in Sailors and Books that reading was a quite popular occupation, if then the men could aread. For the officers, this was of course a prerequisite that they could and so there were not only contemporary novels and poems to find but also usefull books.

Among them were books like, The Mariner's New Calender which contained the principles of arithmetic and practical geometry, tide tables, tables of the sun's position, a table of the difference between latitude and longitude. But also description to use the quadrant, octant, and a nocturnal. But there were also series of books known abbreviated as pilots and were printed to navigate certain waters, relying almost exclusively on written instructions, until the printing of pictures became more convenient and they were included. 

The Mariner’s New Calendar by Nathaniel Colson, 1760 (x)

Practical navigator and seaman's new daily assistant, on the other hand, was a book consumed by the midshipmen. The young sea officers sheet anchor was also among the books they had to read, as it helped them understand rigging and seamanship. In addition, mathematics, arithmetic and geometry books were also found with them.

The young sea officers sheet anchor, or, a Key to the Leading of Rigging, and to Practical Seamanship, by Darcy Lever 1808 (x)

An important book for all of them was the prayer book or the Bible that was read during the masses on board. Equally important, if not necessarily in book form, were the articles of war on board, as well as a medical book, in case there was no surgeon on board or he was not available. There the officers could then look up and hope for the best.

The Seamen’s Medical Friend, by F.D. Fletcher, 1878 (x)

What many also had on board was The nautical magazine and naval chronicle: a journal of papers on subjects connected with maritime affairs. There they could read everything that was currently maritime, such as wrecks, sightings of sea monsters, inventions, important events such as promotions and courts martial.