BY PETER H. SPECTRE (SHERIDAN HOUSE INC., 2003; 112 PAGES; $12.95.)
REVIEWED BY ERIC V. NELSON
Trying to capture the essence of The Mariner’s Book Of Days 2004 in a short review is like trying to capture moonbeams in a bottle. True, it is a unique desk calender, but it is so much more. Call it a desk calendar with an attitude. To those of us who are fascinated by lore and traditions of the sea, it is a treasure trove of information. This is the 13th edition of this calendar. Each has contained a completely new collection of marine fact and legend. The vast amount of nautical lore boggles the mind.
Items in this edition range from the practical (how to wash clothes at sea), to the historical (excerpts from ships’ logs and nautical history of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries). There is also the occasionally bizarre entry (a 1777 recruiting poster for the continental ship, Ranger, captained by John Paul Jones, promises: “Any Gentlemen Volunteers who have a Mind to take an agreable [sic] Voyage in this Pleasant Season of the Year may, by entering on board the above Ship Ranger meet with every civility . . .”). Anyone who has read even one of C. S. Forester’s Hornblower novels knows that life in any 18th century naval vessel was unlikely to be either agreeable or civil.
Peter Spectre’s nautical miscellany is delightfully digestible. Each left-hand page has a selection of marine information and highlighted notes from past nautical adventures — famous, infamous, and obscure. The right-hand pages are weekly day planners. Each day provides a brief note of a significant nautical event that occurred on that date along with plenty of white space for noting appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, and so on.
The Mariner’s Book Of Days 2004 could easily be read in a single evening, but this is no way to treat this charming book. Rather, put it on your desk and as each week begins start by reading the left-hand page. The information contained on these pages often warrants several readings during the week. Each date on the right-hand page contains a nugget of nautical knowledge to be digested while considering the day’s appointments and chores. By the end of the year, you will have a new appreciation for nautical tales and lore.
This is a desk planner that will not be in the trash at the end of the year, but rather will earn a permanent place on every owner’s nautical bookshelf. It is a safe bet that readers of The Mariner’s Book Of Days 2004 will find themselves scouring the shelves of used bookstores and the Internet looking for the 12 previous editions of the calendar.
