Welcome to Lodestar Books, formed in 2009 to publish nautical books of distinction. Our primary interest is in the design, construction, and enjoyment of the sail-and-oar cruising boat and the traditional cruising yacht, my own experience afloat being of both types. Our debut title, Holmes of the Humber, has been a critical and commercial (by our modest standards) success, and I hope seals for a modern readership the reputation of this most singular and admirable individual, whose exploits are an inspiration to those of us bobbing in his wake.
And of course we hope it establishes a long succession of ‘required reading’ from Lodestar for the traditional sailing enthusiast: ‘In the pipeline’ are entirely new books, and overdue new editions of good writing from the last century and more. We’re quite particular though — the vast majority of out-of-print nautical writing is rightly so; we actively seek out old and not-so-old books and journals which have something to say to today’s reader, and truly merit a modest new edition, generally in numbers beneath consideration by mainstream publishers. They really have to have something distinctive about them, whether in the subject matter, the writing, the illustration, ideally all three. But we don’t only focus on republishing old material, we are on the lookout for new ideas, and have a few of our own. You may have an idea for a Lodestar book, or want to suggest an author or subject deserving of attention; if so, we would like to hear from you.
You won’t generally find us in your local bookshop; this is because we publish titles of ‘niche’ appeal in modest quantities, and the resulting high production cost makes trade distribution impossible at a cover price you or I would be willing to pay. To keep these books affordable we sell them direct to you, the reader; you can order online, or by post if you prefer. I’ll even sell you one in person if you can catch me at home in London, sailing on the East Coast, or at some event or other, when I will generally have some copies to hand.
To make up for the inability to browse our books in the shops, we are doing all we can to replicate that experience online. You can download sample pages, which include the full table of contents and, if there is one, the index; and we have some other ideas up our sleeve to convey the content and quality of our books in advance of your purchasing them.
To be sure of securing a copy of any of our books you may need to order early, even in advance of publication; we print in modest numbers, and we won’t necessarily reprint; the aim of any sane publisher is to print the right number and sell them all. But we don’t do ‘limited editions’ per se — the only limitation is how many we think we can sell.
Now you can add your email address to our contact list so we can give you advance notice of what’s in the works. We promise not to bombard you or trade your address with others. You may hear from us a few times per year. It helps both us and you if we inform you of each new project as early as possible so we can gauge the likely interest level, and you can avoid disappointment if a title sells out.
A big advantage of selling direct rather than through the book trade is the communication which results. I enjoy discussing traditional boats and cruising with like-minded people, I need to learn what you like or don’t like in our books, I can discover projects which might otherwise never get off the ground, and I can gain a valuable source of research assistance. It’s a two-way thing. No, three — please tell your friends about us!
Dick Wynne