The Facts on File Dictionary of Nautical Terms

The sailor's lexicon takes on new words faster than it can bail out the old. While containers have replaced break bulk cargoes in the world's largest ports, and a solo circumnavigator can be tracked around the globe via sophisticated communications systems, modern contrivances merely supplement older ones - they rarely replace them altogether. Thus the language of the sea today reflects generations of the sailor's enterprise.
Thompson Lenfestey's Facts On File Dictionary of Nautical Terms is the most modern, comprehensive and accurate reference of its kind to appear in 30 years. With more than 9,000 main entries, it covers the whole scope of contemporary seafaring, from supertankers to dinghies, from naval warfare to pleasure yachting, and from sail to oar. Rich in lore but written with a practical eye trained by years at sea, this dictionary gives parts of speech, unusual pronunciations, and, when needed, examples of appropriate use, as well as illustrations showing subjects as wide ranging as knots, navigation lights, profiles of sail and power vessels, and useful piloting concepts.
No other single reference source offers the degree of coverage of so many topics, which include piloting and navigation; winds, weather, tides, and ice; the business of shipping, including chartering and insurance terms; deck equipment and rigging; knots and marlinespike seamanship; small-boat handling; U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ranks; and flags and signaling.
Written in clear, accessible language, The Facts On File Dictionary of Nautical Terms is equally useful for the merchant shipper, the cruising or racing yachter, the merchant mariner or Navy sailor, not to mention historians, writers and anyone who loves the sea.

In this massive and exhaustive volume, the authors have done a fine job of including every imaginable nautical term. Starting with "aback" (where you don't want the wind to be on your sails), the 8500 entries range from the old (e.g., "Periplus," the first known sailing directions) to the contemporary (e.g., "PHRF," or, "Performance Handicap Racing Fleet," the largest racing class in the world). They include the very useful phonetic alphabet ("alpha," "bravo," "charlie," etc.), ending with "Zulu time" and an extensive use of abbreviations. Illustrations and tables (not seen) will no doubt add to the book's usefulness. With no comparable reference currently available--the several dictionaries in print are directed either at weekend sailers wanting a quick and inexpensive pocket book, or at industry professionals in need of multi-language tomes--this is highly recommended for any library that might have a use for it.
- Robert E. Greenfield, formerly with Baltimore Cty. P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.