A new book that explores the history of the Waverley Steam Navigation Company.

Built in 1949 in Southampton for the Southampton, Isle of Wight & South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., MV Balmoral operated in their Red Funnel fleet for twenty years. In conjunction with her stable-mate, the paddle steamer Waverley, she also operates on the Clyde, the Thames, North Wales and from Southampton and the South Coast.

A wonderful collection of images looking at the history of coastal shipping in the UK.

The follow-up to Alistair Deayton’s David MacBrayne history tells the story of the other constituent company of Cal-Mac. Founded by the Caledonian Railway, the CSP vessels once flourished on the Clyde, sailing to points in Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Argyll.

The Lloyd's Register of Shipping records the details of merchant vessels over 100 gross tonnes, which are self-propelled and sea-going, regardless of classification. Before the time, only those vessels classed by Lloyd's Register were listed. Vessels are listed alphabetically by their current name.

Britain's Living Past is a celebration of the best of the past, of things that have been preserved because they still matter to the community. It is a book in which the emphasis is very much on the word 'living'; looking at traditions, pastimes and working practices, some centuries old, that survive today not as museum pieces or in pages of a history book but as part of everyday modern life. From reminders of Britain's great maritime past in the crafts of the shipwright and the rope maker, to the organised mayhem that is the Ashbourne Tuesday football match and the exotic splendour of Giffords traditional circus, writer Tony Burton and photographer Rob Scott have travelled the length and breadth of our great nation to recreate for the reader the amazing sights they have seen. Together they have travelled from Shetland in the far north to the tip of Cornwall. They have sailed along the Scottish coast in a paddle steamer and learned how to make Melton Mowbray pork pies by hand. They have watched ponies galloping through the streets of Appleby and resisted the temptation to try too many of the sweets in the world's oldest sweet shop. This is a book that delights in the rich diversity of our historic survivors. For both author and photographer it has been a pleasure to witness many skilled people at work: to discover the complexity of building a fairground organ or to marvel at the skill and athleticism of circus performers. This is a book of rich variety that celebrates the great survivors from our islands' history.

'If the Waverley sank right now and I wanted to swim to the nearest land, how far would that be?' 'About a hundred yards, sur.' 'Amazing. Which way?' 'Down!' True 'Glesca' humour and history combined, Kerryoans up the Clyde! recounts the adventures of a vessel full of character with a captain to match: Morrison's Waverley and 'Big Lizzie' are each as formidable and inalienably Scottish as the other. Morrison captures the charmingly unique spirit of the last of the Clyde's paddle steamers as well as the facts of its history. Full of playful tales, many a chuckle and the quirky illustrations of Bob Dewar, you're sure to find something that floats your boat!

The only guide to Britain's preserved historic ships.

Britains favourite steeplejack and industrial enthusiastic, the late Fred Dibnah, takes us back to the 18th century when the invention of the steam engine gave an enormous impetus to the development of machinery of all types. He reveals how the steam engine provided the first practical means of generating power from heat to augment the old sources of power (from muscle, wind and water) and provided the main source of power for the Industrial Revolution. In Fred Dibnahs Age of Steam Fred shares his passion for steam and meets some of the characters who devote their lives to finding, preserving and restoring steam locomotives, traction engines and stationary engines, mill workings and pumps. Combined with this will be the stories of central figures of the time, including James Watts - inventor of the steam engine - and Richard Trevithick who played a key role in the expansion of industrial Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries.

This is a detailed and beautifully illustrated book which looks at how goods have travelled to the Isles over the years.