Navigation for the Amateur (Legacy Edition)

A Classic Handbook on Traditional Navigation Methods by Celestial Body Observation


This unabridged reprint Legacy Edition of E. T. Morton's Navigation for the Amateur is a classic manual on how to find your way with just the sun and stars to guide you. Originally published in 1912, Morton collects the traditional methods of navigation using celestial bodies and time measurements. Over 100 years old, this antique handbook is a wonderful study on the history of navigation and exploration, far before any GPS and high-resolution navigation technologies were available!


Chapters in this classic handbook include how to use the tools of navigation including sextant, chronometer, and compass, how to set sights and take readings of celestial bodies, how to find latitude and longitude based on your position and the sun, how to make use of the Sumner Line when taking readings, worked out navigation problems showing by example, and a glossary of fundamental terms for navigating on the open waters and use of cartographic principles. Also, multiple numeric tables are included, but some may be out of date based on the perpetual movements of celestial bodies - new tables would need to be acquired for some methods.


This vintage book includes timeless knowledge about navigation, sailing, the history of oceanic exploration. As this information is over 100 years old, some of the mathematical formulas may not correspond to the precise placement of celestial bodies, which are in constant motion. However, the methods in this book are timeless for navigating in the traditional way. Although this book represents thought from a former time, it also reveals much about the rich history of naval and outdoors recreation, and many of the tips, tricks, and discussions are still relevant for study today!


A part of The Classic Outing Handbooks Collection: Volume 19


This Doublebit Legacy Edition facsimile reprint of Navigation for the Amateur is professionally restored and presented from the original source, including inspiration from the book's original cover, with the highest degree of fidelity possible. Readers can enjoy this Legacy Edition for generations to come and learn from its timeless knowledge.


About the Doublebit Press Legacy Editions


As a part of the Doublebit Press Legacy Edition Collection, this unabridged volume is reprinted in the exact form as it was presented in the original publication. Both important and minor details have equally both been accounted for by our publishing staff, down to the cover, font, layout, and images. It is the goal of Doublebit Legacy Edition series to preserve outdoors heritage, but also be cherished as collectible pieces, worthy of collection in any handcrafter's or outdoorsperson's library and that can be passed to future generations.