HEAVE HO! THE LITTLE BOOK OF SEASICKNESS – Various. Published in hard covers by Adlard Coles Nautical [www.adlardcoles.com] at £3.99. 96 pocket-sized pages. ISBN 978-1-408-11112-3

A small review for a very small book, whose pages measure a diminutive 115 x 88mm (4½ x 3½ inches)!

Heave Ho! The Little Book of Seasickness is one of those pocket-sized books of quotations and bons mots clearly intended to be bought as much for giving as for reading oneself – and comparing favourably in cost with a bottle of wine it doubtless will be – but even those of us who thought we knew all too much about the subject from firsthand experience will discover something new. Most of the quotations date from the 19th and early 20th centuries, though a few Greeks and Romans also get their say, and cover every aspect of the affliction from (relatively) serious medical comment through wry humour to cheerful limericks.

Heave Ho! The Little Book of Seasickness is attractively produced with sturdy covers and a stitched binding but, surprisingly for such a promising topic, other than on the covers there are no illustrations. An attractive gift which will fit on the bookshelf of even the smallest yacht.

AOMH