A Directory for the Navigation of the Pacific Ocean, with Descriptions of its Coasts, Islands, etc.
From the Strait of Magalhaens to the Arctic Sea, and Those of Asia and Australia

First published in 1851, this two-volume work is a comprehensive nautical directory of the coastlines and islands of the Pacific.

A. G. Findlay (Author)

9781108059725, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 March 2013

740 pages, 1 map
24.4 x 17 x 3.8 cm, 1.16 kg

The English geographer and hydrographer Alexander George Findlay (1812–75) had observed that navigators of his time had to consult a considerable number of documents to gather the information they needed to sail the Pacific Ocean safely. Not only was this highly impractical, it also exposed seafarers to conflicting information that could lead to their demise. First published in 1851, this two-volume nautical directory, compiled by Findlay from reputable sources, provided seamen with a single comprehensive and authoritative reference work. This first volume covers the shores of the Pacific and is a collection of nautical coordinates, sailing instructions and detailed descriptions of the topography of the coastlines, as well as the winds, currents and tides affecting them. An invaluable resource for navigators of the nineteenth century, this work remains of great interest to geographers and scholars of nautical history.

Preface
Part I: 1. Introduction
2. Table of positions, tides, magnetic variations, etc.
Part II: 1. The strait of Magalhaens
2. The outer coast of Tierra del fuego
3. The western coast of Patagonia
4. The island of Chiloe
5. The coast of Chile
6. The coasts of Bolivia and Peru
7. The coast of Colombia
8. The coast of central America
9. The west coast of Mexico
10. The gulf and peninsula of lower California
11. The coast of upper California
12. The coast of Oregon
13. Vancouver island
14. The coast of British America
15. The coast of Russian America
16. The Kodiak archipelago
17. The coast and islands of the sea of Behring
18. The peninsula of Kamtschatka
19. The Japanese archipelago
Alphabetical index.

Subject Areas: Historical geography [HBTP]