"The History of Navigation presents a concise overview of navigation at sea. Pike, a maritime writer with a lengthy maritime career, examines many aspects of ocean travel, including weather, oceanography, charting, routing, and buoyage, as well as various methods for marine navigation, such as celestial, electronic, terrestrial, and satellite. While the text offers a strong introduction to each of these topics, a reader seeking more detail will need to consult tomes such as Nathaniel Bowditch's The American Practical Navigator. Pike's effort combines aspects of history and navigation technology from the era of sailing ships to the modern day. The book's index is thorough, but inclusion of a reference section would have been helpful for a reader looking for additional resources. An overview of maritime resource management--a safety training program for maritime personnel--and coverage of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems in the chapter on "The Human Element" would have enhanced this book's utility. Overall, this is a useful introductory volume for maritime studies and nautical science programs.Summing Up: Recommended.

Lower-division undergraduates and two-year technical program students; general readersand professionals.".