The History of the Plymouth Lifeboats by Jeff Morris published by the author at £2.50 The second edition of one of Jeff Moriss's comprehensive local lifeboat guides, which brings the history of this particular station up to 1994.

As usual the booklet provides a comprehensive guide to the various personalities, lifeboats and shore facilities which have served this major centre over the years. The first lifeboat was stationed at Plymouth in 1803, when one of the earliest Greathead-type boats arrived, although after a rousing greeting there seems to be no record of her being used for lifesaving work! As usual technology, in this instance the advent of motor lifeboats, has brought great changes to the area. When Plymouth's first motor lifeboat arrived in 1927 her greater speed and range led to the withdrawal of pulling and sailing boats at the nearby Yealm river, Hope Cove and Looe in 1930. (Looe at least lives on, having been re-established with a D class inshore lifeboat in 1992).

The History of the Plymouth Lifeboats - in the familiar booklet format for the series, but lacking the latest version's colour cover - is available from Jeff Morris at 14 Medina Road, Foleshill, Coventry CV6 5JB at £2.50 including postage and packing.

Boat Engines by Dick Hewitt published by Fernhurst Books at £11.95 ISBN 1-898660-04-2 With 'mechanical failure' the largest single cause of lifeboat services to pleasure craft one can only urge all skippers to have a working knowledge of their powerplant and how to repair the most common, and most simple, faults.

Dick Hewitt is an ex-editor of Motor Boat and Yachting magazine - which means that he knows what he is talking about and can put the message across clearly.

This is not a workshop manual; it is a plain language guide to all boat engines (petrol and diesel, inboard and outboard, power boat or sailing boat) and targetted at the non-mechanical sailor as well as the power boat enthusiast.

Generally non-specific it deals with basics, and also with the ancillary systems (electrics, fuel) which are so often the cause of 'machinery failure' - and then a call on channel 16.

Another Kind of Courage by Norman Franks published by Patrick Stephens at £17.99 ISBN 1-85260-441-7 Barely space here to applaud this detailed account of the war-time work of Lysander and Walrus in rescuing downed pilots. A little heavygoing in places but fascinating- Norfolk's Lifeboats by Roger Wiltshire published by S. B. Publications at £6.95 ISBN 1 85770 054 6 The sub-title of this volume: 'A Portrait in Photographs and Picture Postcards' tells the rest of the story of this A5 landscape format book.

Each of the 100-plus pages carries a well-reproduced photograph and informative caption illustrating a particular aspect of the lifeboat service on the long, low-lying and potentially dangerous coastline.

Each station - some now closed and Caister which now has an independent service - is featured and the photographs take the story through from the early day of sail and oar to today's fast lifeboats.

Ocean Cruising on a Budget by Anne Hamick published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £13.99 ISBN 0-7136-4069-3 Beware! There are other books urging you to cut loose and sail off into the distance, and telling you 'it's not very expensive' but only Anne Hamick's book actually puts a price on it! At 1994 prices the author was able to produce adverts for dozens of suitable secondhand yachts from under £9,000 up to £25,000; a list of equipment on her own yacht adding £2,390 (and 40p if you want to be picky) and a basedon- experience figure of £480 a month upkeep and living...

No doubt those who have girdled the world may be able to pick the odd hole or two in this reasonably priced, paperback second edition, but if you're a normal yachtie dreaming, or on the verge of, departure I very much doubt that you would be able to put this extremely practical book down - except of course for long enough to work out how to keep that £480 a month coming in while you're anchored off a Caribbean beach...

A prize example of a book which should carry an official warning: 'CAUTION This book may damage your career.

Grave danger of enjoying life' Please note that books reviewed on these pages are notavailablefromtheRNLI.

Where the books are available only from one source an address will be given in the review. Otherwise readers should contact a good bookseller, quoting the title, publisher and the International Standard Book Number (ISBN).

Sailing, a beginner's guide by David Seidman published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £14.99 ISBN 0-7136-4071-5 There must be as many howto- sail books as there are writers who sail (and some by those who can do neither) so one approaches any new entries in this overcrowded market with a degree of trepidation.

Pleasant then to be able to give this 200-page soft-back a more than favourable review, recognising a subtly different approach which seems somehow to reflect the author's deep love for the sport and obviously wide knowledge without becoming intolerably stuffy.

There is a difficult to define middle ground when tackling this subject, somewhere between the over-simplified push-this-pull-that approach and thebe-whiskered-old-salt style which seeks to introduce the newcomer to making tarred hemp baggywrinkle before he even knows where the beer cans are stowed.

This is not a sail-in-a-weekend book, nor is it for those with the attention span of a down-market tabloid reader.

It is a thoughtful, quite easily assimulated book which is wide-ranging and which slips a great deal of background between the simple facts - leavened with just the right amount of history.

Seamanship is ranked right alongside the simple ability to sail, and a beginner who worked his or her way conscientiously through this volume would be well on the way to knowing his onions.

Although obviously of American origin (betrayed by 'jibes' instead of 'gybes'and some classic US inshore boats and rigs in the illustrations) it has been well 'translated' for the English market - and the charming sketches and informative line drawings are a delight..