Guides for lifeboat enthusiasts For those who are fascinated by the history of an individual station, who want to trace a relief lifeboat through its travels from station to station, or who just want to check their facts and figures, these guides are a must.

Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society handbook 2006 By Tony Denton, published by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society Paperback. Free to Society members, or £5 including postage to non-members (cheques payable to Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society), from the author and Society Hon. Treasurer at Dawn, Upper Battlefield, Shrewsbury, SY4 4AA.

The story of the Thurso lifeboats By Jeff Morris, published by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society Paperback. £4.75 including postage (cheques payable to RNLI) from MrAOag, 12 River View, Thurso, Caithness, KW14 7QJ.

The story of the Castletown and Port St Mary lifeboats By Jeff Morris, published by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society Paperback. £4.25 including postage (cheques payable to RNLI) from Mr A Maddrell, Atholl Lodge, Fistard, Port St Mary, Isle of Man, IM9 5PE.

The history of the Aberystwyth lifeboats and The closed lifeboat stations of Yorkshire Both written and published by Jeff Morris Paperback. £3 each including postage (cheques payable to Jeff Morris) from the author at 14 Medina Road, Coventry, CV6 5JB.

Longshore drift: a radio poem By Katrina Porteous with linocuts by James Dodds Published by Jardine Press Ltd ISBN 0953947297 Price: £10 hardback Longshore Drift celebrates the skills and knowledge of the fishermen at Aldeburgh in Suffolk. From the luxurious slipcase through the enchanting poem and James Dodds' stunning linocuts, this is a pleasure to read. Commissioned by BBC Radio 3, the broadcast poem featured real speech from the fishermen Porteous had interviewed. These multiple voices have been successfully translated to the written page with the use of two tones of text featured on adjacent pages. In short, this beautifully produced book is a treat to read but also holds a serious message: at the time of writing there were seven fishing boats working on Aldeburgh beach; two years later at the time of publication, only three remained.

First across the line and fifty other poems By Kevin Pyne Published by Richard Webb ISBN 0953636143 Price: £9.99 hardback Kevin Pyne has worked as a boatman and ferryman on the River Dart for over 35 years and he writes from the heart with breath-taking honesty. His love of the local waters, his friends and family and in particular his recently deceased wife, resonates on every page and makes for a beautiful, moving read. In his preface and the brief notes beneath each poem, Pyne opens his world to the reader and takes them on a journey through the three sections: water stories, medley, and friends and scallywags. His poetry has a simple and seemingly effortless elegance and accessibility that will appeal to anyone with a similar passion for life in and around the water.

Unless other ordering details are stated, all books reviewed in the Lifeboat are available from all good bookshops and online from Amazon via the RNLI website at rnli.org.uk/amazon Amazon will donate a minimum of 5% of the value of all such orders to the RNLI. (For the RNLI to benefit in this way you must access Amazon via the RNLI website and not go direct to Amazon.) The RNLI saves lives at sea a ««*•«» RNU book! «nd fl I Books and films lamazoncouk Looking (or a book or a CD for yourself or as • gift for someone' Why not shop with Amazon co.uk an( help support the RNU at the same lime1 Using this nt to the Amazon site will ensure that 1% of youi I total order will be given to the RNLI Please spread the word and help us raise funds for our volunteer lifeboa crews.

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