Good Books?

[Knotty]

Can anyone recommend any good books which would be suitable for a New boater as regards to living on board and general 'canal stuff'!

 

I'm stuck for a gift idea for my other half and think it would a lovely ' stocking filler' ! ( and one I could peek at to!!)

 

Thanks

 

Knotty x

[Denis & Betty Anne]

Can anyone recommend any good books which would be suitable for a New boater as regards to living on board and general 'canal stuff'!

 

I'm stuck for a gift idea for my other half and think it would a lovely ' stocking filler' ! ( and one I could peek at to!!)

 

Thanks

 

Knotty x

 

'The water road'

By, Paul Gogarty.

 

Denis.

[WJM]

Narrowboat - LTC Rolt

 

Green & Silver - LTC Rolt (search Amazon Used)

 

Narrowdog to Carcasson - Terry ?

 

Fruitflies like Bananas - ???

 

Paddling to Jerusalem- David Arronovitch

 

Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K Jerome ( and the Griff Rhys-Jones TV Prog if its on DVD?)

Edited March 16, 2007 by WJM

[Gary Peacock]

Narrowdog to Carcasson

 

I was particularly determined not to like this book after everyone knocked it and the author, but I actually ended up enjoying it!

[carlt]

Colours of the Cut by Edward Paget Tomlinson (a beautiful book)

 

Ebay clicky to Waterway World's Narrow boat builders Book

 

Narrow Boats by Tom Chaplin

 

Observers book of Canals by John Gagg (see, it does exist)

 

Nicholson's real ale guide to the waterways

 

Priestley's navigable rivers and canals (1831 but it has been reprinted)

 

Inland Waterways of Great Britain by L.A.Edwards (aka 'The Bible')

 

Discovering Craft of the Inland Waterways by D.J.Smith

 

Narrow boat Painting by A.J. Lewery

 

Discovering Lost Canals by Ronald Russell

 

Waterways of Northamptonshire by David Blagrove

 

Inland waterways boat listing by Doulas Maas (for the train spotter types)

 

The repair and Restoration of Wooden Boats by Mike Harper and Dave Johnston (you never know..)

 

Edited because I missed out an author

Edited March 16, 2007 by carlt

[Supermalc]

Observers book of Canals by John Gagg (see, it does exist)

 

It does. A friend recently brought me a copy. He was wandering up and down the high street on a day off, and spotted it in a second hand book shop.

 

My only critisism is the writing is that small, I've GOT to put some glasses on By the time I can see the print in focus, it's too small.

 

Off topic but.....recently found some ready readers in the £1 shop that fold. So no excuse for not being able to read the small print. For instance when in B&Q and want to know if the glue you are looking at is water proof.....or the poison you need to kill the weeds will also kill wildlife (ok I made the last one up, but you get the point)

[Knotty]

Brilliant Thanks all for your help!

[carlt]

Brilliant Thanks all for your help!

Get him colours of the cut, you'll spend hours looking at the beautiful illustrations.

 

Oh and I missed (among loads): Canal Dreams by Iain Banks. It's about murder and stuff on the Panama Canal, and not his best book, but you did specify Waterways. Wasp Factory (his first) is better.

[Hairy-Neil]

The original canal journey log....

The Flower of Gloster, E Temple Thurston

 

For accounts of working narrowboats for a living there's

Hold On A Minute, Tim Wilkinson

Bread Upon The Waters, David Blagrove

Quiet Waters By, David Blagrove

Anderton For Orders, Tom Foxton

No. 1, Tom Foxton

 

For accounts of how the canals were saved there's

The river Runs Uphill, Robert Aickman

Landscape With Canals, LTC Rolt

Race Against Time, David Bolton

 

A Canal People, Sonia Rolt is an excellent picture book

 

The books by the wartime trainees are all a good read....

Troubled Waters, Margaret Cornish

Maiden's Trip, Emma Smith

Idle Women, Susan Woolfitt

Amateur Boatwomen, Eily Gayford

 

Anything by Charles Hadfield is worth a read, particularly

Thomas Telford's Temptation

 

And I'll second the Colours of the Cut, Padget Tomlinson...

Edited March 16, 2007 by Hairy-Neil

[cheshire~rose]

I am amazed that no one has mentioned Ramblin Rose by Sheila Stewart!

[Rick-n-Jo]

Knotty,

 

If you're looking for a 60'-70' boat and want to understand how to handle it competently and why it behaves like it does, read

 

"A Boaters Guide to Boating" by Chris Deuchar

 

Invaluable if you ever want to operate a loaded working pair, or even a horse boat!! But also will help anyone with a large boat understand things like bank effect, prop rotation and winding, efficient lock working (even singlehanded) and use of ropes.

 

Find out what a strapping post is for! And then tell BW. (please!)

 

Rick

[Stephen Sugg]

The original canal journey log....

The Flower of Gloster, E Temple Thurston

 

For accounts of working narrowboats for a living there's

Hold On A Minute, Tim Wilkinson

Bread Upon The Waters, David Blagrove

Quiet Waters By, David Blagrove

Anderton For Orders, Tom Foxton

No. 1, Tom Foxton

 

For accounts of how the canals were saved there's

The river Runs Uphill, Robert Aickman

Landscape With Canals, LTC Rolt

Race Against Time, David Bolton

 

A Canal People, Sonia Rolt is an excellent picture book

 

The books by the wartime trainees are all a good read....

Troubled Waters, Margaret Cornish

Maiden's Trip, Emma Smith

Idle Women, Susan Woolfitt

Amateur Boatwomen, Eily Gayford

 

Anything by Charles Hadfield is worth a read, particularly

Thomas Telford's Temptation

 

And I'll second the Colours of the Cut, Padget Tomlinson...

For a laugh there's "Worst Journey in the Midlands" Sam Llewellyn,

"Ups and Downs of a Lock Keeper" Jake Kavanagh

 

for a good read: "Fruit Flies Like A Banana" - sorry can't remember the author - Bones has borrowed my copy

 

A good coffee table book is "The Great Days of the Canals" Anthony Burton

 

Ghost stories: "Still Waters" Margaret Cornish

 

A nice read: "Journey without End" (I think) David Bolton

 

Growing up with canals: "Windlass in my belt" Again, can't remember the author.

 

For a general, really good read: "Journeys of the Swan" John Lilley

 

We could set up a lending library!

[carlt]

And I'll second the Colours of the Cut, Padget Tomlinson...

 

Here's one we don't need the dictionary for .

[Knotty]

Have made a couple of orders!

 

cheers

[carlt]

Have made a couple of orders!

 

cheers

Does this mean we've got to wait 'til his b'day before you tell us what you've bought? There's an element of competition here, you know.

[Knotty]

Does this mean we've got to wait 'til his b'day before you tell us what you've bought? There's an element of competition here, you know.

 

hehe!

 

Ok, drumroll.....

 

in first place I ordered due to suitablity for a Newbie -

 

Rick n Jo's suggestion ** A boaters guide to boating**

 

2nd Place..very closely 2nd!...

 

Colours of the cut ( as we would like to name our own boat and some nice painting ideas!)

 

 

Thanks all... Theres a few I fancy myself to!!

[Tullz]

Oh and I missed (among loads): Canal Dreams by Iain Banks. It's about murder and stuff on the Panama Canal, and not his best book, but you did specify Waterways. Wasp Factory (his first) is better.

 

Didn't like Wasp Factory, much prefered Crow Road - very funny in places, black humour at its best

 

Tullz

and twopenneth worth

[scoobydog]

"Narrow Boat Painting" By A.J. Lewery has been re-isued as a Paper (soft) Back. They have done a more or less straight copy,(I have done a quick comparison) but given it a new name. I think it is called "The Art of the Narrow Boat Painters". It has on the cover an old photo of the boat "Gifford" at Preston Brook (by the tunnel, loking towards the junction...), which is the same photo as on "Narrow Boat Painting".

 

"Flowers Afloat Folk Artists of the Canals" is another book By A.J. Lewery

Edited March 19, 2007 by scoobydog

[Stephen Sugg]

One I forgot that is a suberb book is "Hold on a minute" by Tim Wilkinson. It tells the story of the author chucking in his job to work a pair of boats with his partner in the 60's (I think) It's a fine read.

[Hairy-Neil]

One I forgot that is a suberb book is "Hold on a minute" by Tim Wilkinson. It tells the story of the author chucking in his job to work a pair of boats with his partner in the 60's (I think) It's a fine read.

 

It well predates the sixties.......by the mid fifties their butty, the Bawtry had been sold to Willow Wren C.C.Co. and its name changed to Greenshank....

 

 

 

 

I just dug out the book and had a quick scan......Its set in 1948 - 49....though first published in 1965.....

Edited March 25, 2007 by Hairy-Neil