Attention All Shipping

Review An engaging and often very funny book ― SUNDAY TIMES A wonderfully eccentric study ― OBSERVER One of those simple yet brilliant ideas ― DAILY MAIL If listening to 'Sailing By ― to the bitter end every night is the surest sign of a Radio 4 addict, then buying Charlie Connelly’s new travel book runs it close’ Product Description This solemn, rhythmic intonation of the shipping forecast on BBC radio is as familiar as the sound of Big Ben chiming the hour. Since its first broadcast in the 1920s it has inspired poems, songs and novels in addition to its intended objective of warning generations of seafarers of impending storms and gales. Sitting at home listening to the shipping forecast can be a cosily reassuring experience. There's no danger of a westerly gale eight, veering southwesterly increasing nine later (visibility poor) gusting through your average suburban living room, blowing the Sunday papers all over the place and startling the cat. Yet familiar though the sea areas are by name, few people give much thought to where they are or what they contain. In ATTENTION ALL SHIPPING Charlie Connelly wittily explores the places behind the voice, those mysterious regions whose names seem often to bear no relation to conventional geography. Armchair travel will never be the same again. Book Description Dogger. Rockall. Malin. Irish Sea' - the hilarious bestselling travel book that journeys round areas made famous by Radio 4's The Shipping Forecast. About the Author Freelance writer and Charlton FC supporter, Charlie Connelly has already proved his quirky credentials by writing a very funny book about Liechtenstein. ATTENTION ALL SHIPPING has cemented these credentials and delighted his rapidly growing readership.