Books in Brief: Celestial Navigation Simplified

Celestial Navigation Simplified, by William F. Buckley Jr. (Avant Communications, 40 min., $69.95, video cassette)

Throughout the history of the world, many of man’s most spectacular accomplishments have been the work of navigators. No matter whom you credit with the discovery of America—Columbus, Vespucci, Leif Ericsson, or even some anonymous Irishman—the fact is that the skill of the navigator has changed the world forever by developing the trade and migration routes to new lands formerly separated, now connected, by great oceans. Before the advent of modern inertial and satellite navigation systems, the human navigator with a sextant was the primary means of guiding a ship or plane from one land mass to another over a body of water. It takes a good deal of training to produce a navigator, a fact that discourages most people from taking it up as a hobby. However, once one has finished with the academics, the practice of celestial navigation is fairly simple, involving mostly the addition or subtraction of a few numbers, and knowing which table to consult. There is no great math skill involved, at least since the advent of modern navigation almanacs and tables. If celestial navigation is so easy, then why would most people, even smallboat sailors with a presumed need to know it, rather have their wisdom teeth out than learn it? The reason is that courses teach why celestial works rather than simply how it works. Until now. William F. Buckley Jr. has advanced the cause of navigation by making the learning of it completely painless. In just forty entertaining minutes, Mr. Buckley gives you all the basics of celestial navigation—something that took me many long, painful weeks to learn. Mr. Buckley’s videotape, Celestial Navigation Simplified, is clear, concise, accurate, and even fun. I can think of no better way to increase your enjoyment of sailing the seas (or just expanding your horizons) than by joining the ancient and honorable fraternity of navigators.

DH

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Damian Housman

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Celestial Navigation Simplified, by William F. Buckley Jr. (Avant Communications, 40 min., $69.95, video cassette)

Throughout the history of the world, many of man’s most spectacular accomplishments have been the work of navigators. No matter whom you credit with the discovery of America—Columbus, Vespucci, Leif Ericsson, or even some anonymous Irishman—the fact is that the skill of the navigator has changed the world forever by developing the trade and migration routes to new lands formerly separated, now connected, by great oceans. Before the advent of modern inertial and satellite navigation systems, the human navigator with a sextant was the primary means of guiding a ship or plane from one land mass to another over a body of water. It takes a good deal of training to produce a navigator, a fact that discourages most people from taking it up as a hobby. However, once one has finished with the academics, the practice of celestial navigation is fairly simple, involving mostly the addition or subtraction of a few numbers, and knowing which table to consult. There is no great math skill involved, at least since the advent of modern navigation almanacs and tables. If celestial navigation is so easy, then why would most people, even smallboat sailors with a presumed need to know it, rather have their wisdom teeth out than learn it? The reason is that courses teach why celestial works rather than simply how it works. Until now. William F. Buckley Jr. has advanced the cause of navigation by making the learning of it completely painless. In just forty entertaining minutes, Mr. Buckley gives you all the basics of celestial navigation—something that took me many long, painful weeks to learn. Mr. Buckley’s videotape, Celestial Navigation Simplified, is clear, concise, accurate, and even fun. I can think of no better way to increase your enjoyment of sailing the seas (or just expanding your horizons) than by joining the ancient and honorable fraternity of navigators.