Trinity House by J. GROSVENOR (Staples Press, 15/-.) is a factual and ably written account of the work of the great organisation which received its charter in 1514 and which today is responsible for so many essential services, including the maintenance of lighthouses and lightvessels, pilotage, the provision and care of beacons and buoys and the surveying of wrecks.

The history and origins of the organisation are sketched somewhat lightly, although Mr. Grosvenor does refer to the fraternity founded in the early thirteenth century under the name of the " Masters and Fellows of Trinity Guild" who pledged themselves to " succour from the dangers of the sea all who are beset upon the coasts of England, to feed them when ahungered and athirst, to bind up their wounds and to build and light proper beacons for the guidance of mariners ". A more vivid picture of the lives of those who serve in lighthouses and lightvessels might also have added to the interest of the book, but as a guide to the manner in which Trinity House is organised and the tasks which it undertakes and so successfully performs, Mr. Grosvenor's book will serve as a valuable work of reference.

Earl Howe, Chairman of the Committee of Management of the Institution, has written a foreword in which he states : " One can only humbly and sincerely admire the great and wonderful work and record of the Elder Brethren ".

P.H.

As one would expect from volumes in the Penguin Handbook series, Sailing and Cruising, both by PETER HEATON, (Penguin Handbooks, 4/- each) are competent and comprehensive.

Sailing starts the beginner in the right way and at the right place and takes him carefully to the point where he should be capable of looking after himself afloat. If he has absorbed all the information offered he will be knowledgeable as well.

Cruising goes a step or, more accurately, a number of steps further and initiates the eager sailing man into the minor mysteries of cruising vessels and deep-sea navigation.

Both books will find a useful place in bookshelves ashore and afloat. Possibly the Royal National Life-boat Institution might not be in full agreement with Mr.

Heaton's exhortation to harden one's heart and go to sea with an adverse forecast in order to avoid spending a holiday weather-bound, but it would be churlish to criticize on that point alone, with so much on the credit side.

E.W.M..