The American Practical Navigator – An Epitome of Navigation (2002 Bicentennial Edition) by Nathaniel Bowditch

The American Practical Navigator – An Epitome of Navigation, originally by Nathaniel Bowditch, LL.D., is offered here in the 2002 Bicentennial Edition.

Designated Pub. No. 9, it was prepared and published by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency in Bethesda, Maryland, and produced in 2002 by Celestaire, Inc. and Paradise Cay Publications from electronic files created by the agency.

Known simply as Bowditch, the name stamped in large gilt letters down the spine, The American Practical Navigator is a substantial reference volume weighing 2.4 kg.

This copy includes the official corrections pages headed “This edition includes: NM 36/02, NM 38/03, and NM 14/03”, setting out page-by-page amendments to the text and figures, including revised material on discoloured water.

As the title on the cover records, this edition marks the bicentennial of the work, and the text carries the standing of an official government navigation manual.

The American Practical Navigator is a practical book as much as a collectable one, built for use at the chart table and in the classroom.

This copy of The American Practical Navigator will suit yacht skippers and offshore sailors, merchant and naval mariners, navigation instructors and students preparing for sea-going qualifications, as well as collectors of maritime and nautical reference books.

Condition – Good

Black textured boards with gilt lettering to the front cover and spine. Shelf wear is present to the corners, covers and spine, with the head and tail of the spine frayed and the board edges rubbed.

There is a scuffed, abraded rectangular patch to the lower front board beneath the publisher line, and light scratching to the rear board, which carries an ISBN barcode sticker.

Page edges show a few light marks. The text block of The American Practical Navigator is clean, intact and firmly bound, with a blue and yellow headband.