A facsimile of an original mid-Victorian children's alphabet of ships and the sea.

Fanny Loviot, adventurer, writer and gold digger, emigrated to San Francisco in 1852. Along with 17 others, including a bankrupt bootmaker and a disgraced nobleman, she set sail from Le Havre on 30 May 1852 on the schooner Dunkirk Independence.

Following one of the most inspiring and fascinating stories linked to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, this book centres on the life and achievements of John Harrison - designer and builder of the first accurate marine chronometers.

This quirky compendium of nautical stories, facts, figures and miscellany is a must-have for all the salty sea-dogs out there. From stories of dramatic voyages, myths, superstitions, famous sea battles and our greatest explorers, this charming book brings together the expertise of world-leading curators into a pocket-sized volume.