Book reviews

Maritime non-fiction / History

Warm words for a cool invention

Blowing Hot and Cold, by Ian Johnston

Remembering his own father's connection with the company, author Ian Johnston set out to write a history of Thermotank, a near-forgotten pioneer in marine air conditioning. It was no small challenge, but Johnston succeeds in bringing a lost British icon back to life.

Maritime non-fiction / War history

Merchant Navy war history draws on author's first-hand experience

Running the Gauntlet, by Bernard Edwards

Captain Bernard Edwards draws on his 40 years in the Merchant Navy – and his skill as an experienced maritime author – to tell the story of the blockade-running cargo liners of the Second World War.

Maritime fiction / Novel

Cracked by the convoys

Sailor's Heart, by Martin Campbell

Set in the dark days of 1942, Martin Campbell's historical novel is about the lives of three seafarers fighting for their country in the Arctic Convoys. Cracking under the intense pressure, they are sent for experimental treatment at Kielder so that they can be returned to battle.

Maritime non-fiction / War history

Merchant Navy voices heard in valuable new Falklands history

Glimpses of the Falklands War, edited by Andy Cockeram and Jerry Cockeram

In early 2022, the Nautilus Telegraph published an appeal by the British Modern Military History Society for Merchant Navy veterans of the Falklands conflict to share their experiences for a new book. The result is Glimpses of the Falklands War.