A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, by Thomas Hariot. Charlottesville, Virginia, The University of Virginia Press, for the Library at The Mariners’ Museum, 2007.

The Library at the Mariners’ Museum is pleased to announce the publication of a facsimile version of a very impressive work from our collection. Published in conjunction with the University of Virginia Press, A Briefe and True Report details how modern North Carolina (then considered part of the vague landmass the English called "Virginia") appeared to the first wave of English settlers to arrive at Roanoke in the late 16th century. Added to Thomas Hariot’s fascinating text are the engravings of Flemish artist Theodore de Bry. These engravings, some of the earliest European views of the native inhabitants of America’s eastern seaboard, were based on the paintings done by John White, who eventually became governor of the colony at Roanoke. Besides providing both the original Latin text and a new English translation, A Briefe and True Report also features articles on the importance of Roanoke and Hariot’s original work by noted scholars Karen Ordahl Kupperman and Peter Stallybrass. You can order your copy by contacting The Mariners’ Museum Shop at (800) 259-3916.

Chris-Craft: The Essential Guide, by Jerry Conrad. Newport News, Virginia, The Mariners' Museum, 2002.

Now in its third printing, we encourage you to order your copy now. This publication is the most comprehensive resource on Chris-Crafts built between 1922 and 1977, which includes cruisers, runabouts, kit boats, and other pleasure craft of the legendary Chris-Craft Corporation. The text provides full specifications for each model, including hull materials, fuel capacity, upholstery colors, number built, and more. Illustrated with more than 700 black-and-white photographs, many never before published, this reference work is a fundamental addition to the libraries of Chris-Craft and powerboat enthusiasts.

Bark Canoes: the Art and the Obsession of Tappan Adney by John Jennings. Buffalo, New York : Firefly Books ; Newport News, Virginia: Mariners’ Museum, 2004.

Historian, ethnographer and model maker, Edwin Tappan Adney, spent a large part of his life researching Native North American bark canoe construction. Considered to be a leading canoe scholar, Adney studied canoe building techniques, meticulously replicating native bark canoes on a 1:5 scale during the late 1900s through the first quarter of the 20th century. Many of the 110 canoe models held by The Mariners’ Museum are highlighted in John Jennings’s book. With the help of photographer John Pemberton, Jennings profiles Adney’s life and presents a stunning visual catalog of the scholar’s work as a model maker.

Each image is enhanced by extensive captions identifying the original canoe’s functions and builders, if known. The text places the vessel in context with the building style of its time. Although Adney primarily documented Canadian bark canoes, he also studied native construction that originated in the New England, Midwest and Northwestern states, as well as Alaska, South America and Asia. The chapters are organized by geographic region, providing a guide to bark canoe history. Instructive text on how to build a birchbark canoe is included along with information on the fur trade. Samples of Adney’s plans and drawings are included, several of which contain colorful canoe decorations.

John Jennings conducted extensive research at The Mariners’ Museum examining models and using the Edwin Tappan Adney Papers (MS 20).