Lifeboat station histories The Story of the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Lifeboats (new) The Story of the Exmouth Lifeboats (updated 3rd edition) The Story of the Whitby Lifeboats (updated 3rd edition) all by Jeff Morris published by the author The Story of the Sheringham Lifeboats (updated 2nd edition) by Robin and Linda West published by Jeff Morris Four volumes in the popular series of booklets from the Honorary Archivist of the Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society which follow his normal, comprehensive format.

The three updated volumes bring the stations concerned right up to date with new boats and recent services, while the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston book is an entirely new edition to the series.

This too is right up to date, including not only the station's new Trent but also the medal and vellum winning service to the German yacht Oll/ne for which the awards were only presented in May.

As usual they are all well illustrated with modern and contemporary photographs and provide a valuable record of the stations and their work.

The books are available from the following addresses - Great Yarmouth and Gorleston: Mrs Karen Smith, c/o Gorleston Lifeboat Station, Riverside Road, Gorleston, Norfolk (£3.50 including p&p) Exmouth: Brian Coles, 61 Ivydale, Foxes Hollow, Exmouth, South Devon EX8 4TA (£3.25 including p&p) Sheringham: J. W Burgess MBE, RNLI Gift Shop, 39 High Street, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 80S ((£3.00 including p&p) Whitby: Peter Thomson MBE, c/o Whitby Lifeboat Museum, Pier Road, Whitby, North Yorkshire (£3.25 including p&p) The Dunbar Lifeboat History published by Dunbar Lifeboat Station at £2.50 This 36-page, A4-size book not only represents a detailed and interesting account of lifeboat activity at this Scottish East Coast station, but also represents a valuable fundraising tool.

By selling advertising space the station has completely funded the production of the book, so that all of the £2.50 purchase price goes straight to RNLI funds! The history of Dunbar's lifeboats stretches back to 1808, coming under the RNLI's wing in 1864.

After 21 year's service the first RNLI boat, Wallace, had saved around a dozen lives and the station survived a closure threat in 1886 when the townspeople raised the £15 needed to maintain the lifeboat for a year! Just as the value of money has changed so have the lifeboats. From December of 1995 Dunbar has had the 25-knot Trent class Sir Ronald Pechell BT, plus an inflatable D class for inshore services, the first of which arrived in 1968.

A well documented book, which will be of great interest to anyone with an interest in the area and the lifeboat station.

General interest., My Lifeboat Obsession by Claud Sharp published by AMS Educational Publishing at £3.50" ISBN 1 86029 065 5 Claud Sharp is the Second Coxswain of Scarborough lifeboat - having also served on the crew at Filey and Bridlington - and this slim volume makes compelling reading.

The most common question asked of lifeboatmen is 'Why do you do it?' and it is this which Claud attempts to answer in a very modest and down-to-earth way. The result is an almost un-putdownable 54 pages of reminiscences. Some are tragic, some are humorous, some epics, some routine - but through them all runs the thread which answers that basic question.

* AMS Educational Publishing, Woodside Trading Estate, Low Lane, Horsford, Leeds LS18 5NY-please add 50p for post and packing.

A Merchant's Tale The adventures of a 19th century Scottish trader Edited by Jocely Hemming and Nancy Thurley published by Merlin Books at £14.95 ISBN 0 83303 693-7 It was quite common for those who had travelled widely in the nineteenth century to publish a book on their journeys but this volume was written by James Macintyre, a Scottish trader, mainly for the author's family, and is only now reaching a wider audience - 200 years after his birth.

The original manuscripts have been edited by two of the writer's great-granddaughters and they give a fascinating and perceptive insight into the world surrounding an adventurer whose lifetime spanned the French Revolution, Trafalgar, the abolition of slavery and the accession of Queen Victoria.

The First Destroyers by David Lyon published by Chatham Publishing at £30.00 ISBN 1-86176-005-1 There is no denying that this is a somewhat specialised book, tracing as it does the history of the very earliest destroyers from the end of the nineteenth into the beginning of the twentieth centuries. Undoubtedly extremely well researched and packed with facts and figures this superbly illustrated, large-format hardback is mainly for the dedicated historian or model maker (a large scale set of plans for a 1902 vessel are included) but nonetheless provided this less dedicated reviewer with some interesting reading and browsing.

Nelson against Napoleon Edited by Robert Gardiner published by Chatham Pictorial at £30.00 ISBN 1-86176-026-4 Another volume from the same publishers as the book above, and to the same high standard of reproduction and illustration.

Again a somewhat specialised product, covering a short period of history in great detail, but once again one which will also prove interesting to those outside the specialised group at which it is aimed.

For the yachtsman How to Cope with Storms by D. V. Haeften published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £9.99 ISBN 0-7136-4109-6 Any sailor tries to avoid storms, so why, one might ask, write an entire 168-page book about the subject? The simple answer is that avoiding them isn't as easy as you might think, and anyone who spends any amount of time at sea will encounter some heavy weather sooner or later. Reading and understanding this excellent book before the inevitable happens should made the situation a little less terrifying.

Of course the best way to cope with storms is to avoid them in the first place - an attitude which is well covered in the opening chapters of the book. The first six chapters provide a concise and lucid description of the formation and movement of storms from 'normal' depression gales, through the troughs which wreaked havoc in the 1979 Fastnet through to local thunderstorms. A further chapter adds detail on tropical cyclones, for those fortune enough to sail in waters in which they could occur! The behaviour of waves and of the yacht in a seaway come in for consideration as does the suitability of various types of yacht for dealing with bad weather.

With the scene set the author moves on to the real thing - with practical advice on seeking shelter, the effect on the crew and how to cope with a storm if you do have to meet it at sea.

Interestingly there is also a chapter on an often overlooked aspect, dealing with a gale in the place it is most often encountered - in harbour.

All-in-all a highly recommended book.

Outboard Engines Maintenance, troubleshooting and repair by Edwin R. Sherman published by Waterline at £17.95 ISBN 1 853109762 With mechanical failure one of the main reasons for lifeboat services any book which helps with mechanical awareness and leads to better maintained engines must be welcomed.

This particular volume speaks with a slight trans-Atlantic accent (and was indeed first published in the USA) but this is of little importance since many outboards are either manufactured in or pass through the USA, and most readers will be familiar with American terms and able to translate without hesitation.

Obviously such a book cannot be specific to any particular engine, but it does give a very good insight into the basics of both two-stroke and fourstroke outboards, how they work, what is likely to go wrong and how maintenance could prevent the failure.

A very good basic primer which, read with a particular engine's manual in the other hand, could save some embarrassing moments.

Day Skipper Motor Cruising by Denise Brehaut and Paul Hay published by Helmsman Books at £11.99 ISBN 1-86126-038-5 There seems to be a wealth of books to help candidates for the RYA's sailingorientated certificates, but relatively few for those seeking to obtain these qualifications in power driven vessels.

This volume, from the two founders of a school set up specifically to teach motor cruising skills, helps to redress the balance.

The book assumes theoretical knowledge up to the level of the Day Skipper Theory - although some revision is included in the text - and is intended to prepare readers for the practical session.

A useful and seemingly comprehensive book from authors who are obviously experienced in their field.

Perhaps the only criticism being that some of the photographs and their captions appear to be 'fillers' and could have been more informative.

Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen by Mary Blewitt published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £8.99 ISBN 0-7136-4623-3 The fact that this book has reached its eleventh edition since its first publication 47 years ago must confirm that it is considered virtually the standard work on the subject.

In these days of satellite navigation and the electronic revolution many may ask why celestial navigation should still have a place aboard a boat - and the answer of course is that it does not rely on a steady stream of electrons! One wave in the wrong place could put every electronic device aboard out of action, but a trusty sextant and a set of tables will survive conditions that would be the death knell of a GPS receiver.

The stars and planets still behave as they did in 1950 and sextants have changed little. This slim and concise book is still a good way to find out how to use them to best advantage.

The European Waterways A Manual for First Time Users by Marian Martin published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £12.99 ISBN 0-7136-4356-0 A very useful guide to the use of many European waterways which concentrates on the practical aspects (particularly for the newcomer) and not on specific routes, canals or ports.

Many, in fact probably most, of the newcomer's questions will be answered in these 168 pages and the more experienced will also find the book useful in the wheelhouse as a reference to the rules, signs and regulations on the various waterways.

Jolie Brise A Tall Ship's Tale by Robin Bryer published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £12.99 ISBN 0-7136-4785-X This tale of one of the most famous early ocean racers - built as a pilot boat in 1913 and still going strong today - was first published as a hardback in 1982. Now available as a paperback and still fascinating reading.

The books reviewed on these pages are not available from the RNLI.

Where the books are available only from one source an address will be given, otherwise readers should contact a good bookseller, quoting the title, publisher and ISBN..