Nathaniel Bowditch

The American Practical Navigator Nathaniel Bowditch

This is the best selling boating-book ever. 1,000,000 copies sold over 200 years. Everything a marine navigator could possibly need to know. 2011 Edition: Updated by National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. USA Government Publication. Although it appears intimidating, it's actually quite readable. It happens also to be the very pinnacle of all marine navigation guides; all others refer to it and every professional and serious navigator/pilot does own a copy. It's enormous in both physical volume and weight. 885 pages. 36 Chapters and 36 associated mathamatical documents: PART 1 - FUNDAMENTALS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION TO MARINE NAVIGATION. CHAPTER 2. GEODESY AND DATUMS IN NAVIGATION. CHAPTER 3. NAUTICAL CHARTS. CHAPTER 4. NAUTICAL PUBLICATIONS PART 2 - PILOTING CHAPTER 5. SHORT RANGE AIDS TO NAVIGATION. CHAPTER 6. COMPASSES. CHAPTER 7. DEAD RECKONING. CHAPTER 8. PILOTING. CHAPTER 9. TIDES AND TIDAL CURRENTS. PART 3 - ELECTRONIC NAVIGATION CHAPTER 10. RADIO WAVES. CHAPTER 11. SATELLITE NAVIGATION. CHAPTER 12. LORAN NAVIGATION. CHAPTER 13. RADAR NAVIGATION. CHAPTER 14. ELECTRONIC CHARTS. PART 4 - CELESTIAL NAVIGATION CHAPTER 15. NAVIGATIONAL ASTRONOMY. CHAPTER 16. INSTRUMENTS FOR CELESTIAL NAVIGATION. CHAPTER 17. AZIMUTHS AND AMPLITUDES. CHAPTER 18. TIME. CHAPTER 19. THE ALMANACS. CHAPTER 20. SIGHT REDUCTION. PART 5 - NAVIGATIONAL MATHEMATICS CHAPTER 21. NAVIGATIONAL MATHEMATICS. CHAPTER 22. CALCULATIONS AND CONVERSIONS. CHAPTER 23. NAVIGATIONAL ERRORS. CHAPTER 24. THE SAILINGS. PART 6 - NAVIGATIONAL SAFETY CHAPTER 25. NAVIGATION PROCESSES. CHAPTER 26. EMERGENCY NAVIGATION CHAPTER 27. NAVIGATION REGULATIONS. CHAPTER 28. MARITIME SAFETY SYSTEMS. CHAPTER 29. HYDROGRAPHY. PART 7 - OCEANOGRAPHY CHAPTER 30. THE OCEANS. CHAPTER 31. OCEAN CURRENTS. CHAPTER 32. WAVES, BREAKERS AND SURF. CHAPTER 33. ICE NAVIGATION. PART 8 - MARINE METEOROLOGY CHAPTER 34. WEATHER ELEMENTS. CHAPTER 35. TROPICAL CYCLONES. CHAPTER 36. WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. CHAPTER 37. WEATHER ROUTING. NAVIGATION TABLES