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Natural Navigation
De natuur als kompas
Stel: je bent bezig met een wandeltocht door de wildernis, maar je verdwaalt en de batterij van je telefoon is leeg en je hebt geen GPS bij je. Wat nu? Geen paniek! Gebruik de zon, maan, sterren, wolken, wind, bomen en vogels als je trouwe bondgenoten om erachter te komen waar je bent en welke kant je op moet. Het kan, blijkt uit het boek De natuur als kompas van de Britse wandelaar en navigatie-expert Tristan Gooley. Bij natuurlijke navigatie draait het met name om de juiste richting te kiezen, zonder gebruik te maken van technische hulpmiddelen of instrumenten. Je gebruikt alleen natuurlijke wegwijzers zoals de zon, de maand, de sterren, het landschap, de zee, het weer, de planten en de dieren. Je leert waarom sommige bomen groeien zoals ze groeien en hoe ze jou de weg kunnen wijzen in het landschap. Je ontdekt hoe je natuurlijke herkenningspunten kunt gebruiken om te navigeren, zowel op de oceaan als midden in de stad. ‘Natuurlijk navigeren’ gaat trouwens niet alleen over het vinden van de weg. Het is ook een aansporing om je omgeving goed in je op te nemen. Het boek De natuur als kompas staat boordevol weetjes en geweldige verhalen en laat je op een verrassende manier zien hoe je de natuur als kompas kunt gebruiken.
196 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
July 29, 2013
Fantastic guide to learning how to use natural cues to orient yourself and hold a course, but goes beyond this to help anyone enjoy the outdoors even if you don't need to use the skills for navigation.
The author doesn't just give a list of rule-of-thumb pointers in nature, but starts the discussion by talking about the major factors that shape the natural world. Light from the sun, wind, water, and how the Earth rotates and orbits around the sun are the reasons behind the rules-of-thumb found in so many other navigation books. Each section of the book provides a basic foundation of knowledge about how these things affect the world around us, and then gives practical examples of how to use them for natural navigation. Because of this approach, the book goes beyond a navigation guide and becomes a tool to help you understand what you see around you.
If you understand how the plants and land react to sun and wind, then you can begin to make your own inferences about direction and the natural history of a location even if you can't remember exactly what side of a tree some book said moss is supposed to grow on -- which, by the way, is no side of any tree where I live. Tips about north or south easily become useless when you don't understand the reason why they work. I don't need to spend my time looking for moss that isn't there when I could just be looking for growth patterns in everything that is there. That is what this book tries to teach you to do.
The most interesting and unique part of this book, I think, is the section on the moon. I learned things about using the moon to infer direction that I had not read anywhere else. After learning why and how it can be used, I wondered why the reason wasn't just obvious to everyone and in all the books.
This is a great book even if you don't care about navigation and just want to appreciate what you see in the world around you.
The author doesn't just give a list of rule-of-thumb pointers in nature, but starts the discussion by talking about the major factors that shape the natural world. Light from the sun, wind, water, and how the Earth rotates and orbits around the sun are the reasons behind the rules-of-thumb found in so many other navigation books. Each section of the book provides a basic foundation of knowledge about how these things affect the world around us, and then gives practical examples of how to use them for natural navigation. Because of this approach, the book goes beyond a navigation guide and becomes a tool to help you understand what you see around you.
If you understand how the plants and land react to sun and wind, then you can begin to make your own inferences about direction and the natural history of a location even if you can't remember exactly what side of a tree some book said moss is supposed to grow on -- which, by the way, is no side of any tree where I live. Tips about north or south easily become useless when you don't understand the reason why they work. I don't need to spend my time looking for moss that isn't there when I could just be looking for growth patterns in everything that is there. That is what this book tries to teach you to do.
The most interesting and unique part of this book, I think, is the section on the moon. I learned things about using the moon to infer direction that I had not read anywhere else. After learning why and how it can be used, I wondered why the reason wasn't just obvious to everyone and in all the books.
This is a great book even if you don't care about navigation and just want to appreciate what you see in the world around you.
June 28, 2023
I don't think this book has been successful in teaching me how to find my way without a GPS, but it has changed the way I enjoy a casual stroll. Now, when I look at the trees, the clouds, the rocks, the lichen, the water and the stars; when I feel the wind across my face, the sun on my back and the mud under my feet, when I smell the tangy salt air; when I hear the bees buzzing and the birds chirping, I see the universe conspiring to show me the way! It's a delicate dance that has been finessed over many million years and carried out to perfection! Thank you, Tristan Gooley!
January 20, 2020
I did't like - and couldn't finish - this book. I was expecting a manual helping you using Nature to orientate, but that is not the case. Most of the book is wasted in storytelling, carefully used to glue you without giving much information about how to orientate using natural clues. This book is mainstream, for urban people who doesn't have any clue on what Nature is anymore.
August 19, 2010
Brilliant book - very readable and well researched. Draws upon rare earlier books and a lot of first hand experience, then presented clearly and with passion. This will become a classic.
Tristan practices what he teaches and has over the years assimilated a lot from earlier books, such as
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32... by Harold Gatty.
This latest book synthesises probably all that is currently published and known about the subject of natural navigation - and yet because of Tristan's passion and personality it is compelling and easy to read.
There are few pictures, this is not a technical book, more a thought provoking and highly enlightening discussion - you cannot help but be positively moved by the book and you will see your world afresh as a result. Good stuff indeed.
Though it will look good on your shelf of as christmas gift, it really is best when well thumbed, read and re-read - so trust me and read it. I guarantee you will learn something simply wonderful.
Tristan practices what he teaches and has over the years assimilated a lot from earlier books, such as
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32... by Harold Gatty.
This latest book synthesises probably all that is currently published and known about the subject of natural navigation - and yet because of Tristan's passion and personality it is compelling and easy to read.
There are few pictures, this is not a technical book, more a thought provoking and highly enlightening discussion - you cannot help but be positively moved by the book and you will see your world afresh as a result. Good stuff indeed.
Though it will look good on your shelf of as christmas gift, it really is best when well thumbed, read and re-read - so trust me and read it. I guarantee you will learn something simply wonderful.
March 19, 2020
The first 20 pages or so are quite interesting however it definitely isn’t a beginners book. Couldn’t bring myself to finish reading it
August 8, 2018
A for informative, D for engaging.
Even adjusting my standards for a work of non-fiction whose objective is clearly to inform and not to entertain, this was a tough read. There is no doubt that Mr. Gooley is a passionate expert in natural navigation. And I learned a lot, some of which I hope to retain and put into practice. But I began to feel like wave after wave after wave of information was coming at me. The few attempts at humor did more to convince me that Mr. Gooley is a very serious navigator indeed. In the end I found this a dry, difficult work to plod through - even though I'm sure I'm the more enlightened navigator for it.
Even adjusting my standards for a work of non-fiction whose objective is clearly to inform and not to entertain, this was a tough read. There is no doubt that Mr. Gooley is a passionate expert in natural navigation. And I learned a lot, some of which I hope to retain and put into practice. But I began to feel like wave after wave after wave of information was coming at me. The few attempts at humor did more to convince me that Mr. Gooley is a very serious navigator indeed. In the end I found this a dry, difficult work to plod through - even though I'm sure I'm the more enlightened navigator for it.
April 6, 2023
This interesting book deals with a topic I had never considered by itself - natural navigation using only natural landmarks and signs. I consider navigation quite regularly since I enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities, but normally I had viewed what the author calls "natural navigation" as just handy methods to back up other devices like a compass if they fail or are lost. This book does live up to it's title since the author very thoroughly covers the navigational aspects of everything from wind and plant life all the way to animal behavior and a lot of celestial navigation.
Unfortunately, all of the very interesting information the book discusses mentioned above tends to be sandwiched between digressions into spiritualism or other rabbit-holes (excuse the pun) the author associates with the topic. This is not a fatal flaw, but does make some sections more informative than others. Over-all I do recommend this book for anyone interested in outdoor activities which take you away from paved roads and other trappings of civilization.
Unfortunately, all of the very interesting information the book discusses mentioned above tends to be sandwiched between digressions into spiritualism or other rabbit-holes (excuse the pun) the author associates with the topic. This is not a fatal flaw, but does make some sections more informative than others. Over-all I do recommend this book for anyone interested in outdoor activities which take you away from paved roads and other trappings of civilization.
June 6, 2021
Very thorough and informative guide to natural navigation. I’m not sure I’ll remember a lot of it, but I found the book interesting.
November 23, 2023
I actually started with the How To Read a Tree book in this collection, but recommend this as your starting point. The author will begin your journey into natural navigation with this book. Tristan Gooley isn’t so much teaching you with this book, but rather taking you on a journey of natural navigation both past and present. He immerses you in a plethora of ways that you can use the environment to navigate and even discusses how other species may use the natural world to navigate. This book is not a “how-to” guide but you will likely learn numerous techniques to start you on the natural navigator path. What I enjoy most about the author’s presentation style is that you’re learning while also taking part in story. The author is definitely both knowledgeable and passionate about the subject and it really comes through in the readings. As previously stated in my last review, I will be continuing to read books from this collection.
May 2, 2022
"'When I stay in one place I can hardly think at all,' wrote Jean-Jacques Rousseau." (6)
"Landmark navigation, then, is the first system for wayfaring without instruments: All we need to do is remember where the local landmarks are, relative to each other & our destination. There is one huge weakness to this method: It only works on land & only if you are already very familiar with a landscape. Any worthwhile method for navigating must work even if we are totally new to an area. Satellite navigation, compasses, & maps all enable us to overcome this challenge of unfamiliarity. Natural navigation can do this too, but for it to work we need to fine-tune the tools we already have - our senses. . . . Initially, achieving this heightened level of awareness requires conscious effort, but over time, the natural navigator comes to use the senses intuitively. American explorer & sea captain Edmund Fanning awoke suddenly in the middle of the Pacific, in the middle of the night, rushed on deck, & ordered his crew to heave-to. It was not until the following morning that they realized this had saved them from a reef less than a mile away. Fanning had felt the proximity of the reef through the action fo the water, in his sleep." (16)
"Our ancestors would have grown used to spotting paths from the dung left behind by animals that moved with previous travelers. This exact method is still used in places like Oman to this day." (31)
"The Intuit in the Arctic left inuksuit, mounds of stone, to indicate good hunting areas & also a guide to the safest way home, while Captain Scott did the same in the Antarctic. Cairns have been used by the American Indians, the nomads of Mongolia, & across the mountain ranges of Europe, American, & Asia." (31)
"The southern side of any range of hills in the northern hemisphere will experience a greater variety of temperature than the northern side. In winter, the southern side of a hill may go through repeated frost & thaw cycles, while the northern side, hidden from the warmth of the sun, remains consistently frozen. In mountainous regions like the Alps this difference is drawn by the varying heights of the snow line. This leads to greater erosive forces on the southern side, often giving it a different look & feel." (36)
"A path that heads north-south will receive roughly equal amounts of drying sunlight on each side, since the sun rises on one side of it & sets on the other. The drying is evened out over the course of the average day. However, in the northern hemisphere the sun spends most of its time in the southern part of the sky, which. means that on an east-west path, the incline & growth on the southern side of the track will cast a shadow on the southern part of the track itself." (39)
"What a great thought of God was that when He thought a tree! - JOHN RUSKIN" (45)
"Environmental adaptations of the type which can be 'read' are usually more pronounced on deciduous trees than on evergreens. Evergreens have evolved to cope with low levels of diffuse light over long periods, whereas deciduous trees explode into action for a few months & their leaves tend to be much broader. . . . After studying the tree from as many angles as possible, try to ascertain whether it appears 'heavier' on one side. Sometimes this effect is pronounced, but often it is necessary to look for subtle differences. . . . The branches on the lighter side, south in the northern hemisphere, will grow out toward the light, while the branches on the darker side will tend to grow more vertical." (46)
"...the heart of a [felled] tree can often be found closer to the southern side than the northern." (48) // meaning a felled tree stump should should the center closer to the south
"Like moss, algae usually give clues about the moistness of a surface rather than clearly indicating direction." (54)
"...the only general rule that I have found useful across wide areas is that the brightest lichens are usually found in spots that receive direct sunlight. There tend to be more of the almost luminous orange & pale green lichens on south-facing stones than stones facing other aspects. The way I like to remember this is as follows: If a lichen appears to be very bright, then it is generously giving back the sunlight it has harvested - this is not very scientific, but it can help. . . . Chichester has a strange old edifice at its center called the 'Chichester Cross,' built so that the poor might sell their wares beneath it. It has a clock on its roof, supported by 8 buttresses, each of which is exposed to subtly different sun, wind & rain patterns. Each buttress reflects its particular aspect in different colors & patterns of lichen, spots of gold & brown on the southern ones, working through grays & pale greens round to the north." (55)
"The undersides of low clouds will appear lighter or darker than normal, depending whether this is open water or ice in the distance. This was explained rather poetically by the polar explorer Frederick Cook:
A water-sky, a land blink, or some other sign, indicative of land or open water, is constantly before us & these are to the polar explorer, like the Star of Bethlehem to the children of Israel. They perpetually urge us on." (70)
"Layers of differing air temperature cause mirages or 'looming,' when the light refracts & land below the horizon 'pops up' above it. The light has not traveled in a straight line & temporarily offers the ability to see in a curve over the horizon. This has even caused basking walruses tot appear from beyond visible range." (71)
"The equator is the midway line btwn the 2 Tropics. It is where the sun passes overhead in mid-spring & autumn, the 2 equinox days. The Tropic of Cancer is 23.5* north of the equator & the Tropic of Capricorn is 23.5* south of it. The word 'tropics' has lost its core meaning. . . What the word refers to is a band of the Earth's surface, & the only part where the sun can ever be directly overhead. North of the Tropic of Cancer & south of the Tropic of Capricorn the sun is never directly overhead. . . The circles extend 23.5* from each pole." (83)
"200 years after Pytheas' voyage toward the land of the midnight sun, the Greek astronomer & mathematician Hipparchus was the first to look at the world as a sphere that could be divided up into 360*. He use Pytheas' shadow measurements to work out the line of latitude that he must have been on & how far north he was at the time of measuring the shadow. A few years later Strabo, the geographer, was then able to look along this line & work out that Pytheas must have been on the north coast of Brittany at the time. . . As we dive deeper into the subject of the sun & where it appears in the sky, it is important to hold on to the idea that there is nothing about the movement of the sun that cannot be understood by putting a stick in the ground & watching its shadow. (84)
"Wherever you are in the world, the shortest shadow from a stick will always form a perfect north-south line, & it will do this at midday." (85)
"The sun's rate of movement is perfectly simple. It moves across the sky at a uniform speed: 15* per hour. This is the relative speed that nearly all celestial objects move when viewed from Earth, because it completes 1 full revolution every 24 hours. The equation is simply 360* divided by 24 equals 15."(96)
"This method [ID'ing the North Star] can bring you closer to true north than many people will manage to get even with a good compass or the help of GPS. (Compasses can be used to find magnetic north, but an adjustment to this needs to be made to find true north - the direction of the North Pole. Compasses are also always susceptible to deviation from nearby metal GPS is excellent at working out position, but less strong at finding direction.)" (117) // brackets/emphasis added
"The Big Dipper is what is called an asterism, which means that while it is a shape that is recognized in the sky, it is not actually 1 of the 88 formally recognized constellations. It is in fact part of the constellation of Ursa Major, or the Great Bear." (117)
"If the Earth is imagined spinning like a child's top, then one might perceive a slow wobble in that perpetual motion . The North Pole, as seen from above, moves very slowly in a circle. It takes 25,800 years to complete this circle , & so the changes it causes in our view of the celestial sphere cannot be detected in a lifetime." (127)
"This proximity [of Mercury] to the sun makes it difficult to see in the sky, because it is usually blotted out by the sun itself. It will never be more than 28* or 3 extended fist-widths from the sun, & can only be seen at dawn or dusk. . . If you see a bright white object on the horizon just before dawn or after dusk & you have eliminated the bright stars & other planets, you may have caught a glimpse of Mercury. (130)
"[Venus] is never more than 47* from the sun, just under 5 extended fist-widths. . . It is the brightest object in the sky after the sun & moon. . . The best way to use it is not normally as the primary way of finding direction, but as an excellent way of holding your course." (130)
It is not very useful in finding direction, but can throw off your reading of the night sky if you fail to recognize it. If you see a prominent red star close to the celestial equator when you are not expecting to see one, you should consider the possibility of its being Mars." (132)
"...Jupiter can be used to hold a course even if it is not used to find out." (133)
"Comets are not used to find direction, but can be used like the planets to hold a course. . . the tail will always stretch away from the sun, even if the comet is itself moving away from the sun. This is because the comet is not moving through an atmosphere & leaving a trail in the way a steam train might. Instead, its tail is being caused by a constant wind of particles from the sun itself. (135)
"The light milky & dark patches that give our galaxy its own unique fingerprint in the sky can be used as a celestial map to help us find other objects. A famous dark area called the Coal Sack can be found next to the Southern Cross & can be used to identify that important constellation." (137)
"If you are settling in fo the evening & find the direction you need clearly from the stars, then plant a stick in the ground & line it up with another stick, rock, or landmark so that you can set off in the right direction the following morning. If it something you might be grateful for after the daylight or clouds have blotted out all trace of stars." (139)
"Wherever you are in the world, the waxing & waning of the moon remains constant - a full moon is full the world over..." (142)
"If you need to be able to read the sea's surface in detail (fi you are searching for a buoy, for instance), it is easiest to do in sunlight if the sun is on your back. But at night, if the moon is up & the sky is cloudless, then you get the best visibility of the surface by looking into the moon." (142)
"Since the moon lags the sun by a fraction more each day, it follows that it must rise marginally later each day. On average the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, which is the amount that tide times lag the previous day on average." (148)
"The shortest shadow cast by the moon will be a perfect north-south line. . . to extend a tangent to the crescent line that separates light from dark down to the horizon. . . this line will touch the horizon reasonably close to south if viewed from a northern latitude. . . The shadow stick method is very accurate, but can be impractical. The tangent method below is very practical but not nearly as accurate." (149)
"A full moon opposite the sun, which means that at midday the sun is due south & the moon is opposite it, due north. IT is invisible at midday, because it is 'underground,' but there are lots of times when it can be seen. At midnight, the roles are reversed, the sun is due north & invisible & the moon is now visible & approximately due south." (151)
"The extremes of tidal height & speeds are called 'spring tides' & they occur shortly after the sun's & the moon's gravitational influences are aligned. This happens when the moon & the sun are either in line, a new moon, or opposite, a full moon." (153)
"(The first tangible evidence comes much later, beyond Europe, where images of ships began to appear on Egyptian artifacts from about 5,000 years ago. This is as far back as any real historical understanding of nautical navigation can be taken.)" (158)
"There were, however, some societies, like those in the Pacific, which developed in extreme geographical isolation, since less than 1% of the Pacific is land. For hundreds of years, the Pacific sat apart from the major trade routes & so the cross-fertilization of navigational ideas was limited. One result of this was that the unique navigation methods that were developed in the Pacific remain distinct & different to this day. Instruments arrived in the Pacific hundreds of years after most other areas, & so the natural awareness & skills that all seafaring cultures must once have shared were better preserved int eh Pacific Islands than anywhere else. Captain James Cook was profoundly impressed by the Pacific Islanders' use of the sun, moon & stars." (160)
"...and the distance [the wave] has blown across open water, known as its 'fetch.'" (168)
"When wave energy travels beyond the area where the waves were created by the wind this is called swell." (168)
"Waves travel in the same direction as the wind. If the wind changes, then the waves will change direction, too, superimposing themselves on a swell that has not changed direction. Swell will continue across or even against the wind. Swell tends to be less steep than waves, since all waves flatten & elongate as they travel. This is why waves sometimes break in open water but swell does not. Another effect of the greater scale of swell is that each crest & trough runs in unbroken lines. They are much wider than waves & run much father, often appearing to stretch out into the distance.
Even with practice, identifying the difference btwn waves & swells can be difficult. Seasoned practitioners of this art often rely on their own physical sensations to determine what is moving beneath the boat. . . This is perhaps the reason the experienced island sailor Captain Ward reported that a man's testicles were the best apparatus for assessing swell, & that this was the preferred method in the Pacific." (169)
"Using transits: When 2 fixed objects line up, then we must be somewhere on that extended line. This can be very useful on land or sea." (176)
"The modern navigator has the benefit of sea charts, but even os it is important to remain aware & vigilant, something that those whose lives are vulnerable to the currents have demonstrated. The Inuit's natural awareness has helped them to develop a unique technique. They have used floating kelp, or quiqquaq, as a guide, looking for the submerged fronds that are led away from the floating root by the currents." (178)
"In 1872, the Irish mathematician & engineer Lord Kelvin built an impressive & strange machine, a contraption of dials & drums aimed at predicting the tide. Man's struggle to master this elusive natural phenomenon led to more & more complex machinery, culminating in the Fleisher-Harris tide predicting machine in 1910. Capable of juggling 37 different celestial & other variables, this behemoth stood over 10 feet long & nearly 6 feet wide, a maze of gears & levers. It was however still only able to approximate the behavior of tidal water.
Even in this age of computers that can make billions of calculations per second & beat every human being at chess, there is not a machine in the world that can accurately predict tides at a new location without the assistance of human observation." (178)
"The concise answer is that the moon accounts for up to a foot of vertical movement in the oceans, the sun for up to 6", & every other effect is caused by the reaction as a body of water moves into shallower water & the intricate complexities of coastlines. The tide races up narrow funnels like the Bristol Channel & is barely detectable in the center of the Atlantic. These are the dominant factors, but to predict an exact tidal height it is necessary to take account of numerous other factors like wind, ocean currents, & air pressure." (180)
"The modern sailor, perhaps already familiar with the sight of fulmars heading home at dusk, but wishing to glean more navigational information from the birds, needs to take note of several factors. These include species, number, frequency, time, season, & behavior." (186)
"Since most coastal birds like to set out in the morning & return to land at night, it is fair to assume that a flock of such birds heading in a uniform direction at dusk are likely indicating the direction of land." (188)
"One of these is the use of luminescence, or phosphorescence as it is more commonly called. This i snot the omnipresent twinkling caused by chemical reactions in small organisms, but a distinctly different & much less well understood phenomenon that resembles 'underwater lightning,' typically about a yard below the surface & roughly 95 miles from an island. The extraordinary & valuable thing about these flashes & streaks of lights that they appear to emanate from the direction of an island & are still used by local sailors to steer by on nights with rain & poor visibility. The phenomenon has not yet been fully explained, but Lewis believed that it may be caused by a deep swell movement or possibly reflected swell." (189)
"Lewis also met an island navigator by the name of Abera Beniata of Nikunau of Kiribati, who claimed that there is an effective method of using the sun's rays. Near the middle of the day, when the sun is almost overhead, if the navigator peers down into the water the sun's rays will not appear uniform. There will be long rays & short rays visible int he water, & the shorter rays will indicate the direction of land." (189)
"Landfall is not the moment of touching land, but of sighting it." (190)
"One method that is used in the search for land is the scouring of the sky for anomalous clouds. Clouds often form over land by the orographic effect, which is when the landmass pushes moist maritime air higher, causing it to condense & form clouds." (192)
(192)
"If the color contrast btwn land & sea is striking, then sometimes this can be seen on the underside of a cloud, as a green tinge above a Pacific lagoon, for example." (192)
(210)
(233)
(235)
(236)
(238)
"Landmark navigation, then, is the first system for wayfaring without instruments: All we need to do is remember where the local landmarks are, relative to each other & our destination. There is one huge weakness to this method: It only works on land & only if you are already very familiar with a landscape. Any worthwhile method for navigating must work even if we are totally new to an area. Satellite navigation, compasses, & maps all enable us to overcome this challenge of unfamiliarity. Natural navigation can do this too, but for it to work we need to fine-tune the tools we already have - our senses. . . . Initially, achieving this heightened level of awareness requires conscious effort, but over time, the natural navigator comes to use the senses intuitively. American explorer & sea captain Edmund Fanning awoke suddenly in the middle of the Pacific, in the middle of the night, rushed on deck, & ordered his crew to heave-to. It was not until the following morning that they realized this had saved them from a reef less than a mile away. Fanning had felt the proximity of the reef through the action fo the water, in his sleep." (16)
"Our ancestors would have grown used to spotting paths from the dung left behind by animals that moved with previous travelers. This exact method is still used in places like Oman to this day." (31)
"The Intuit in the Arctic left inuksuit, mounds of stone, to indicate good hunting areas & also a guide to the safest way home, while Captain Scott did the same in the Antarctic. Cairns have been used by the American Indians, the nomads of Mongolia, & across the mountain ranges of Europe, American, & Asia." (31)
"The southern side of any range of hills in the northern hemisphere will experience a greater variety of temperature than the northern side. In winter, the southern side of a hill may go through repeated frost & thaw cycles, while the northern side, hidden from the warmth of the sun, remains consistently frozen. In mountainous regions like the Alps this difference is drawn by the varying heights of the snow line. This leads to greater erosive forces on the southern side, often giving it a different look & feel." (36)
"A path that heads north-south will receive roughly equal amounts of drying sunlight on each side, since the sun rises on one side of it & sets on the other. The drying is evened out over the course of the average day. However, in the northern hemisphere the sun spends most of its time in the southern part of the sky, which. means that on an east-west path, the incline & growth on the southern side of the track will cast a shadow on the southern part of the track itself." (39)
"What a great thought of God was that when He thought a tree! - JOHN RUSKIN" (45)
"Environmental adaptations of the type which can be 'read' are usually more pronounced on deciduous trees than on evergreens. Evergreens have evolved to cope with low levels of diffuse light over long periods, whereas deciduous trees explode into action for a few months & their leaves tend to be much broader. . . . After studying the tree from as many angles as possible, try to ascertain whether it appears 'heavier' on one side. Sometimes this effect is pronounced, but often it is necessary to look for subtle differences. . . . The branches on the lighter side, south in the northern hemisphere, will grow out toward the light, while the branches on the darker side will tend to grow more vertical." (46)
"...the heart of a [felled] tree can often be found closer to the southern side than the northern." (48) // meaning a felled tree stump should should the center closer to the south
"Like moss, algae usually give clues about the moistness of a surface rather than clearly indicating direction." (54)
"...the only general rule that I have found useful across wide areas is that the brightest lichens are usually found in spots that receive direct sunlight. There tend to be more of the almost luminous orange & pale green lichens on south-facing stones than stones facing other aspects. The way I like to remember this is as follows: If a lichen appears to be very bright, then it is generously giving back the sunlight it has harvested - this is not very scientific, but it can help. . . . Chichester has a strange old edifice at its center called the 'Chichester Cross,' built so that the poor might sell their wares beneath it. It has a clock on its roof, supported by 8 buttresses, each of which is exposed to subtly different sun, wind & rain patterns. Each buttress reflects its particular aspect in different colors & patterns of lichen, spots of gold & brown on the southern ones, working through grays & pale greens round to the north." (55)
"The undersides of low clouds will appear lighter or darker than normal, depending whether this is open water or ice in the distance. This was explained rather poetically by the polar explorer Frederick Cook:
A water-sky, a land blink, or some other sign, indicative of land or open water, is constantly before us & these are to the polar explorer, like the Star of Bethlehem to the children of Israel. They perpetually urge us on." (70)
"Layers of differing air temperature cause mirages or 'looming,' when the light refracts & land below the horizon 'pops up' above it. The light has not traveled in a straight line & temporarily offers the ability to see in a curve over the horizon. This has even caused basking walruses tot appear from beyond visible range." (71)
"The equator is the midway line btwn the 2 Tropics. It is where the sun passes overhead in mid-spring & autumn, the 2 equinox days. The Tropic of Cancer is 23.5* north of the equator & the Tropic of Capricorn is 23.5* south of it. The word 'tropics' has lost its core meaning. . . What the word refers to is a band of the Earth's surface, & the only part where the sun can ever be directly overhead. North of the Tropic of Cancer & south of the Tropic of Capricorn the sun is never directly overhead. . . The circles extend 23.5* from each pole." (83)
"200 years after Pytheas' voyage toward the land of the midnight sun, the Greek astronomer & mathematician Hipparchus was the first to look at the world as a sphere that could be divided up into 360*. He use Pytheas' shadow measurements to work out the line of latitude that he must have been on & how far north he was at the time of measuring the shadow. A few years later Strabo, the geographer, was then able to look along this line & work out that Pytheas must have been on the north coast of Brittany at the time. . . As we dive deeper into the subject of the sun & where it appears in the sky, it is important to hold on to the idea that there is nothing about the movement of the sun that cannot be understood by putting a stick in the ground & watching its shadow. (84)
"Wherever you are in the world, the shortest shadow from a stick will always form a perfect north-south line, & it will do this at midday." (85)
"The sun's rate of movement is perfectly simple. It moves across the sky at a uniform speed: 15* per hour. This is the relative speed that nearly all celestial objects move when viewed from Earth, because it completes 1 full revolution every 24 hours. The equation is simply 360* divided by 24 equals 15."(96)
"This method [ID'ing the North Star] can bring you closer to true north than many people will manage to get even with a good compass or the help of GPS. (Compasses can be used to find magnetic north, but an adjustment to this needs to be made to find true north - the direction of the North Pole. Compasses are also always susceptible to deviation from nearby metal GPS is excellent at working out position, but less strong at finding direction.)" (117) // brackets/emphasis added
"The Big Dipper is what is called an asterism, which means that while it is a shape that is recognized in the sky, it is not actually 1 of the 88 formally recognized constellations. It is in fact part of the constellation of Ursa Major, or the Great Bear." (117)
"If the Earth is imagined spinning like a child's top, then one might perceive a slow wobble in that perpetual motion . The North Pole, as seen from above, moves very slowly in a circle. It takes 25,800 years to complete this circle , & so the changes it causes in our view of the celestial sphere cannot be detected in a lifetime." (127)
"This proximity [of Mercury] to the sun makes it difficult to see in the sky, because it is usually blotted out by the sun itself. It will never be more than 28* or 3 extended fist-widths from the sun, & can only be seen at dawn or dusk. . . If you see a bright white object on the horizon just before dawn or after dusk & you have eliminated the bright stars & other planets, you may have caught a glimpse of Mercury. (130)
"[Venus] is never more than 47* from the sun, just under 5 extended fist-widths. . . It is the brightest object in the sky after the sun & moon. . . The best way to use it is not normally as the primary way of finding direction, but as an excellent way of holding your course." (130)
It is not very useful in finding direction, but can throw off your reading of the night sky if you fail to recognize it. If you see a prominent red star close to the celestial equator when you are not expecting to see one, you should consider the possibility of its being Mars." (132)
"...Jupiter can be used to hold a course even if it is not used to find out." (133)
"Comets are not used to find direction, but can be used like the planets to hold a course. . . the tail will always stretch away from the sun, even if the comet is itself moving away from the sun. This is because the comet is not moving through an atmosphere & leaving a trail in the way a steam train might. Instead, its tail is being caused by a constant wind of particles from the sun itself. (135)
"The light milky & dark patches that give our galaxy its own unique fingerprint in the sky can be used as a celestial map to help us find other objects. A famous dark area called the Coal Sack can be found next to the Southern Cross & can be used to identify that important constellation." (137)
"If you are settling in fo the evening & find the direction you need clearly from the stars, then plant a stick in the ground & line it up with another stick, rock, or landmark so that you can set off in the right direction the following morning. If it something you might be grateful for after the daylight or clouds have blotted out all trace of stars." (139)
"Wherever you are in the world, the waxing & waning of the moon remains constant - a full moon is full the world over..." (142)
"If you need to be able to read the sea's surface in detail (fi you are searching for a buoy, for instance), it is easiest to do in sunlight if the sun is on your back. But at night, if the moon is up & the sky is cloudless, then you get the best visibility of the surface by looking into the moon." (142)
"Since the moon lags the sun by a fraction more each day, it follows that it must rise marginally later each day. On average the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, which is the amount that tide times lag the previous day on average." (148)
"The shortest shadow cast by the moon will be a perfect north-south line. . . to extend a tangent to the crescent line that separates light from dark down to the horizon. . . this line will touch the horizon reasonably close to south if viewed from a northern latitude. . . The shadow stick method is very accurate, but can be impractical. The tangent method below is very practical but not nearly as accurate." (149)
"A full moon opposite the sun, which means that at midday the sun is due south & the moon is opposite it, due north. IT is invisible at midday, because it is 'underground,' but there are lots of times when it can be seen. At midnight, the roles are reversed, the sun is due north & invisible & the moon is now visible & approximately due south." (151)
"The extremes of tidal height & speeds are called 'spring tides' & they occur shortly after the sun's & the moon's gravitational influences are aligned. This happens when the moon & the sun are either in line, a new moon, or opposite, a full moon." (153)
"(The first tangible evidence comes much later, beyond Europe, where images of ships began to appear on Egyptian artifacts from about 5,000 years ago. This is as far back as any real historical understanding of nautical navigation can be taken.)" (158)
"There were, however, some societies, like those in the Pacific, which developed in extreme geographical isolation, since less than 1% of the Pacific is land. For hundreds of years, the Pacific sat apart from the major trade routes & so the cross-fertilization of navigational ideas was limited. One result of this was that the unique navigation methods that were developed in the Pacific remain distinct & different to this day. Instruments arrived in the Pacific hundreds of years after most other areas, & so the natural awareness & skills that all seafaring cultures must once have shared were better preserved int eh Pacific Islands than anywhere else. Captain James Cook was profoundly impressed by the Pacific Islanders' use of the sun, moon & stars." (160)
"...and the distance [the wave] has blown across open water, known as its 'fetch.'" (168)
"When wave energy travels beyond the area where the waves were created by the wind this is called swell." (168)
"Waves travel in the same direction as the wind. If the wind changes, then the waves will change direction, too, superimposing themselves on a swell that has not changed direction. Swell will continue across or even against the wind. Swell tends to be less steep than waves, since all waves flatten & elongate as they travel. This is why waves sometimes break in open water but swell does not. Another effect of the greater scale of swell is that each crest & trough runs in unbroken lines. They are much wider than waves & run much father, often appearing to stretch out into the distance.
Even with practice, identifying the difference btwn waves & swells can be difficult. Seasoned practitioners of this art often rely on their own physical sensations to determine what is moving beneath the boat. . . This is perhaps the reason the experienced island sailor Captain Ward reported that a man's testicles were the best apparatus for assessing swell, & that this was the preferred method in the Pacific." (169)
"Using transits: When 2 fixed objects line up, then we must be somewhere on that extended line. This can be very useful on land or sea." (176)
"The modern navigator has the benefit of sea charts, but even os it is important to remain aware & vigilant, something that those whose lives are vulnerable to the currents have demonstrated. The Inuit's natural awareness has helped them to develop a unique technique. They have used floating kelp, or quiqquaq, as a guide, looking for the submerged fronds that are led away from the floating root by the currents." (178)
"In 1872, the Irish mathematician & engineer Lord Kelvin built an impressive & strange machine, a contraption of dials & drums aimed at predicting the tide. Man's struggle to master this elusive natural phenomenon led to more & more complex machinery, culminating in the Fleisher-Harris tide predicting machine in 1910. Capable of juggling 37 different celestial & other variables, this behemoth stood over 10 feet long & nearly 6 feet wide, a maze of gears & levers. It was however still only able to approximate the behavior of tidal water.
Even in this age of computers that can make billions of calculations per second & beat every human being at chess, there is not a machine in the world that can accurately predict tides at a new location without the assistance of human observation." (178)
"The concise answer is that the moon accounts for up to a foot of vertical movement in the oceans, the sun for up to 6", & every other effect is caused by the reaction as a body of water moves into shallower water & the intricate complexities of coastlines. The tide races up narrow funnels like the Bristol Channel & is barely detectable in the center of the Atlantic. These are the dominant factors, but to predict an exact tidal height it is necessary to take account of numerous other factors like wind, ocean currents, & air pressure." (180)
"The modern sailor, perhaps already familiar with the sight of fulmars heading home at dusk, but wishing to glean more navigational information from the birds, needs to take note of several factors. These include species, number, frequency, time, season, & behavior." (186)
"Since most coastal birds like to set out in the morning & return to land at night, it is fair to assume that a flock of such birds heading in a uniform direction at dusk are likely indicating the direction of land." (188)
"One of these is the use of luminescence, or phosphorescence as it is more commonly called. This i snot the omnipresent twinkling caused by chemical reactions in small organisms, but a distinctly different & much less well understood phenomenon that resembles 'underwater lightning,' typically about a yard below the surface & roughly 95 miles from an island. The extraordinary & valuable thing about these flashes & streaks of lights that they appear to emanate from the direction of an island & are still used by local sailors to steer by on nights with rain & poor visibility. The phenomenon has not yet been fully explained, but Lewis believed that it may be caused by a deep swell movement or possibly reflected swell." (189)
"Lewis also met an island navigator by the name of Abera Beniata of Nikunau of Kiribati, who claimed that there is an effective method of using the sun's rays. Near the middle of the day, when the sun is almost overhead, if the navigator peers down into the water the sun's rays will not appear uniform. There will be long rays & short rays visible int he water, & the shorter rays will indicate the direction of land." (189)
"Landfall is not the moment of touching land, but of sighting it." (190)
"One method that is used in the search for land is the scouring of the sky for anomalous clouds. Clouds often form over land by the orographic effect, which is when the landmass pushes moist maritime air higher, causing it to condense & form clouds." (192)
(192)
"If the color contrast btwn land & sea is striking, then sometimes this can be seen on the underside of a cloud, as a green tinge above a Pacific lagoon, for example." (192)
(210)
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June 11, 2022
In this book, Tristan Gooley blends natural science, folklore and history to introduce the skill of navigating using nature's own sign-posts, from the appearance of a puddle to the angle of the sun.
This book will help you understand why some trees grow the way they do and how they can help you find your way in the countryside. You'll learn how to find North and how natural signs can be used to navigate anywhere, from the open ocean to the heart of a city.
The book details how to navigate using signs on land, at sea and in the sky (including the moon, the sun and the stars). It's a very useful resource if you want to become more at home in the wild and more adept at relying on your senses (rather than technology) to find your way.
This book will help you understand why some trees grow the way they do and how they can help you find your way in the countryside. You'll learn how to find North and how natural signs can be used to navigate anywhere, from the open ocean to the heart of a city.
The book details how to navigate using signs on land, at sea and in the sky (including the moon, the sun and the stars). It's a very useful resource if you want to become more at home in the wild and more adept at relying on your senses (rather than technology) to find your way.
December 17, 2022
Gooley seeks to share the fascinating methods that allowed our ancestors to orient themselves and undertake ambitious explorations without the aid of instruments. He focuses on the kind of details that once made about a local terrain allow for wider deductions about navigation. He shares many examples of traditional navigating techniques that have survived to our times and explains the observations they exploit. While some explanations could have benefited from a longer discussion, the book serves as a great introduction to an aspect of travel that is almost lost to the modern world.
January 18, 2021
This is more a book to keep on hand to revisit than a read it once and get the knack how-to. It’s not a reference book because it’s very conversational. It’s maybe not enough of one or the other. I can’t tell if it’s me or the author, butI reckon it’s me- in another case I didn’t retain as much as I would like.
October 22, 2022
I loved reading this book. Much like his other book ‘Learning to Read Water’, he expertly points out the many clues around us to identify ‘where’ we are to where we are trying to go. I wish I had opportunity to practice all that is explained. As I contemplated concepts, I was so glad I had exposure to physics, astronomy, and some wilderness backpacking courses. Out of these books, I will continue to do a better job of looking around!
September 20, 2020
I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book. I wasn’t enamoured with the first chapter and almost discontinued it but something kept me on track and I’m so glad I completed it. What a wonderful way to remind yourself about natural navigation - a lost art for so many and such a pleasure to understand. Excelling in it would be sublime. I feel more connected to my surroundings, and have a
re-energised interest in the sun, moon and stars. I’m even thinking about picking up another one of Tristan Gooleys books!
re-energised interest in the sun, moon and stars. I’m even thinking about picking up another one of Tristan Gooleys books!
April 8, 2020
I tried. And I failed.
March 27, 2021
I agree this is more a history than a guide. The reader is encouraged to pay attention and draw conclusion. More something for people, who have never notice their environment.
May 12, 2023
Was expecting a bit more from this book. There were some interesting moments but not much more.
Also the book feels a bit disorganised.
Also the book feels a bit disorganised.
November 27, 2025
Best viewed as an argument for mindfulness of our natural surroundings and a guide to the patterns of nature around us, as opposed to a purely practical guide for navigating outdoors. A preexisting understanding of meteorology and astronomy benefits the reader as the concepts can be baffling at first exposure.
June 29, 2021
This is a fascinating read in many different ways. It is clearly written and engages the reader. At times scientific (but not burdensome), at times mythical, at times perplexing and all the time a satisfying look at how to know where you are by simply looking around you.
Well, perhaps not “simple” but logical once you put your mind to it. Now, I am neither a great outdoorsman or a mathematics scholar but I think, in a pinch, I could work out where I am with a little thought and a lot of close reading from this book.
What I enjoyed most about this book were the lessons about simply looking around where I am, making observations, mixing in a dash or two of logic, and then having a greater confidence to act and then move.
There were several simple Lo explained drawing to help accentuate the text. All in all, a good read from any direction you want to travel to, or from.
Well, perhaps not “simple” but logical once you put your mind to it. Now, I am neither a great outdoorsman or a mathematics scholar but I think, in a pinch, I could work out where I am with a little thought and a lot of close reading from this book.
What I enjoyed most about this book were the lessons about simply looking around where I am, making observations, mixing in a dash or two of logic, and then having a greater confidence to act and then move.
There were several simple Lo explained drawing to help accentuate the text. All in all, a good read from any direction you want to travel to, or from.
July 12, 2021
“Personally, I would rather die walking than die of boredom reading about how to walk safely.”
Do you know how to find your way in the world without a GPS? Can you look at the clouds after lunch and know if it will rain or not? Can you tell the prevailing wind direction from looking at a tree? Tristan Gooley knows how and he share his knowledge in the books he’s written to make nature’s signs accessible to all people.
After listening to Tristan Gooley speak on a podcast about how to tell the weather by watching the clouds, I went and put his books on hold with my local library. In Natural Navigator, he delves into how to travel about a countryside and read clues about the area and where to go by the nature around you. In The Lost Art of Reading Nature Signs, he takes the reader through different natural phenomenon and what that tells you about time, weather or location.
Anyone interesting in nature or just learning more about the world would enjoy his books. I plan to buy his books and add them to my bookshelf. The next one I’m waiting on is The Secret World of Weather.
Read more here: https://sarahannecarter.com/natural-n...
Do you know how to find your way in the world without a GPS? Can you look at the clouds after lunch and know if it will rain or not? Can you tell the prevailing wind direction from looking at a tree? Tristan Gooley knows how and he share his knowledge in the books he’s written to make nature’s signs accessible to all people.
After listening to Tristan Gooley speak on a podcast about how to tell the weather by watching the clouds, I went and put his books on hold with my local library. In Natural Navigator, he delves into how to travel about a countryside and read clues about the area and where to go by the nature around you. In The Lost Art of Reading Nature Signs, he takes the reader through different natural phenomenon and what that tells you about time, weather or location.
Anyone interesting in nature or just learning more about the world would enjoy his books. I plan to buy his books and add them to my bookshelf. The next one I’m waiting on is The Secret World of Weather.
Read more here: https://sarahannecarter.com/natural-n...
September 9, 2022
I really enjoyed this book and the information presented within it. I have a numerous occasions used some of the techniques described to start up conversations or help plant a seed of curiosity about the outdoors to people who are so very caught up with the hustle of technology and city.
Many of the nature reading techniques require dedicated practice to actually learn to use them effectively. Fun to learn about there potential.
Others techniques require a study of the fauna and flora of a region to begin to understand what can be learnt from nature.
Some points are very matter of fact. You can read those, then go outside see them in action!
By in large the book is designed to make the reader more curious and therefore more observant of what nature has to teach us. The more observant we are the more we will learn. This book sets you on the path to start tuning your attention to nature’s library of knowledge, but you must get outside, find the clues, and uncover that wisdom.
I would recommend this book to any outdoor enthusiasts or those who have already built a respect and interest in the natural world. I wouldn’t use this book as a way to spike that interest, other than by sharing bits and pieces of it to encourage the cultivation of interest in nature.
Many of the nature reading techniques require dedicated practice to actually learn to use them effectively. Fun to learn about there potential.
Others techniques require a study of the fauna and flora of a region to begin to understand what can be learnt from nature.
Some points are very matter of fact. You can read those, then go outside see them in action!
By in large the book is designed to make the reader more curious and therefore more observant of what nature has to teach us. The more observant we are the more we will learn. This book sets you on the path to start tuning your attention to nature’s library of knowledge, but you must get outside, find the clues, and uncover that wisdom.
I would recommend this book to any outdoor enthusiasts or those who have already built a respect and interest in the natural world. I wouldn’t use this book as a way to spike that interest, other than by sharing bits and pieces of it to encourage the cultivation of interest in nature.
January 30, 2019
A little fluffy and self-congratulatory in the vein of Shop Class as Soulcraft and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:--I believe the author quotes both of these other authors at some point. When Gooley gets down to focusing on the subject of how to locate yourself in nature, though, the book is fascinating. I personally would have preferred more of this type of straightforward information, for example, what you can learn from the shape of sand dunes, and less of the too-long side trips Gooley makes to tell stories about how people used to get around. Gooley seems more than a bit influenced by Rousseau's 18th century thinking about the Natural Man, and not in a good way. Still he has perked my interest and given me new thoughts.
February 16, 2021
The Natural Navigator is a story about the art of natural navigation without offering much in terms of practical advice or how-tos. While I thoroughly enjoyed some chapters, such as "Creatures of habit," and wrote down a few basic tips here and there, the book was not what I expected, nor is that useful in the field.
September 23, 2017
Liked some of the insight concerning landscape, but there was too much reliance on anecdotes and psychological waffle here, too much dependence on a small number of pet sources. Firm ground became a quagmire.
May 8, 2018
There's plenty to learn from this book, including ancient folktales and myths. I found this was more of a "look at the index & find topic" type of book. There is simply too much to absorb by cover to cover reading.
August 13, 2016
Disappointing. Little of really practical value in today's world. Very little I didn't already know.
August 25, 2021
Lovely read, detailed and loads of new knformations. Will definitely read through again!
August 20, 2022
This was an audiobook that caught my eye when browsing on Audible. It is something that I do find interesting and one that I found for the most part made sense and that I could understand.
The art of navigation is a complex one and the author goes back over the history of navigation from the very early days of human history right through the centuries into modern-day technological techniques. While it may not seem as important to have knowledge of the natural art of navigating, it is however one that is incredibly useful, or in some situations, essential if you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings and batteries have lost their charge.
I have a very basic knowledge of using a compass and map, it was great when I went out walking and found new paths and routes around the coast and countryside near where I live. Some things I noticed were evident such as the ways trees lean, the way moss grows or how a hedge may be bushier on one side or the other. The author tells of these and goes on to a lot more things that he has noticed and also learnt himself.
The research for this book is vast and includes items or findings from the Romans, Egyptians and Vikings are great as these are things that I can reference with a search on the interest. There are more complex guides that have been included using the constellations, longitude and latitude as well as how the practice of navigation can be altered by the poles, which hemisphere you are in or if you are standing near to a ferrous rock.
For the most part, this is relatively easy to follow, although there are some sections that stray into a more mathematical field as you would expect, and I admit that I wasn't so keen on these to listen to. they are however an intrinsic element to the art of navigation and so they do have a part in this book along with all the other things.
This is quite comprehensive as it does go into a lot of techniques, tools, theories, practices and of course how nature, the natural world, the sun, stars and the moon can aid in navigation. While a lot is mentioned, the author only briefly touches upon the subjects. For more detailed reading then you would need to look at a more focused book or text. This book however does give a good guide to all the different ways of navigation and is a great starting point for someone, to begin with before going further with their chosen path.
A good one to listen to, the author has a nice voice and his knowledge of the subject is well expressed. It is an audiobook that would appeal to several listeners and it is one I would happily recommend.
The art of navigation is a complex one and the author goes back over the history of navigation from the very early days of human history right through the centuries into modern-day technological techniques. While it may not seem as important to have knowledge of the natural art of navigating, it is however one that is incredibly useful, or in some situations, essential if you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings and batteries have lost their charge.
I have a very basic knowledge of using a compass and map, it was great when I went out walking and found new paths and routes around the coast and countryside near where I live. Some things I noticed were evident such as the ways trees lean, the way moss grows or how a hedge may be bushier on one side or the other. The author tells of these and goes on to a lot more things that he has noticed and also learnt himself.
The research for this book is vast and includes items or findings from the Romans, Egyptians and Vikings are great as these are things that I can reference with a search on the interest. There are more complex guides that have been included using the constellations, longitude and latitude as well as how the practice of navigation can be altered by the poles, which hemisphere you are in or if you are standing near to a ferrous rock.
For the most part, this is relatively easy to follow, although there are some sections that stray into a more mathematical field as you would expect, and I admit that I wasn't so keen on these to listen to. they are however an intrinsic element to the art of navigation and so they do have a part in this book along with all the other things.
This is quite comprehensive as it does go into a lot of techniques, tools, theories, practices and of course how nature, the natural world, the sun, stars and the moon can aid in navigation. While a lot is mentioned, the author only briefly touches upon the subjects. For more detailed reading then you would need to look at a more focused book or text. This book however does give a good guide to all the different ways of navigation and is a great starting point for someone, to begin with before going further with their chosen path.
A good one to listen to, the author has a nice voice and his knowledge of the subject is well expressed. It is an audiobook that would appeal to several listeners and it is one I would happily recommend.
September 29, 2023
I got The Natural Navigator and The Lost Art of Finding Our Way from the library in the same trip, because the Amazon reviews for them both mentioned the other as being the better book. Unfortunately, I didn't find either of them worth finishing, but for different reasons.
TNN spends an inordinate amount of time talking about the joys of naturally navigating and how important it is to do it, but just glosses over any real information about how you WOULD actually do it. And even when there's information that might be specific, it's surrounded by reasons why this particular method might not work for you. I gave up around page 100, but I really hadn't learned a useful thing and it didn't look like I was going to.
TLAoFOW, on the other hand, is more like a history book, but not one that tells specific things about specific people. Instead, it's largely just a huge collection of the author's highly general anecdotes about people from the past and what they used for navigation. Again, it doesn't give YOU any information YOU might be able to use (unless you're playing Trivial Pursuit and the question, "True or False: Did the Polynesians use dead reckoning to travel between islands?") So in my mind, it fails as both a technical resource AND a history book.
Neither of these books were particularly interesting, something I find more and more common in new nonfiction books lately. They contain a lot of words, but the writing is like listening to someone talk in a Zoom meeting. I'm tempted to think maybe it's just me, becoming jaded as I grow older (I'm 59), but I can (and do) pick up nonfiction books from the past, even some that I've read before, and they still hold my interest strongly.
I think it's more that there seem to be a lot of people today who feel like they can write a book, and no one gives them any feedback to the contrary. In previous decades, editors used to strongly gatekeep, because publishers didn't want to print a book that wouldn't sell. Maybe with today's social media, marketing departments can make ANY book sell enough to cover that expense, so why not?
TNN spends an inordinate amount of time talking about the joys of naturally navigating and how important it is to do it, but just glosses over any real information about how you WOULD actually do it. And even when there's information that might be specific, it's surrounded by reasons why this particular method might not work for you. I gave up around page 100, but I really hadn't learned a useful thing and it didn't look like I was going to.
TLAoFOW, on the other hand, is more like a history book, but not one that tells specific things about specific people. Instead, it's largely just a huge collection of the author's highly general anecdotes about people from the past and what they used for navigation. Again, it doesn't give YOU any information YOU might be able to use (unless you're playing Trivial Pursuit and the question, "True or False: Did the Polynesians use dead reckoning to travel between islands?") So in my mind, it fails as both a technical resource AND a history book.
Neither of these books were particularly interesting, something I find more and more common in new nonfiction books lately. They contain a lot of words, but the writing is like listening to someone talk in a Zoom meeting. I'm tempted to think maybe it's just me, becoming jaded as I grow older (I'm 59), but I can (and do) pick up nonfiction books from the past, even some that I've read before, and they still hold my interest strongly.
I think it's more that there seem to be a lot of people today who feel like they can write a book, and no one gives them any feedback to the contrary. In previous decades, editors used to strongly gatekeep, because publishers didn't want to print a book that wouldn't sell. Maybe with today's social media, marketing departments can make ANY book sell enough to cover that expense, so why not?
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