Excerpt from The Whys and Wherefores of Navigation I have t considered it desirable to avoid repetition and in order to closely follow a line of thought have freely repeated many points already taken up. This has in a number of cases avoided the distraction of seeking a page of reference elsewhere. I have had in mind that it serve as supplementary reading to the American Practical Navigator, Bowditch, that great bulwark of navigation which for over a hundred years has guided the masters of American ships through every deed of valor and every commercial adventure. It is placed beyond criticism by its venerable name and its remarkable record and, as a reference book for the navi gator, it stands without a peer, but as a text book it founders the beginner. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art techlogy to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.