The story of Pembroke Dock is one of triumph and disaster, of hope and terrible failure. Nearly three hundred ships were built in the yards, including some of the most powerful ships in Queen Victoria’s navy – as well as four famous Royal Yachts. Then in 1926, the dockyard was suddenly closed, leaving the town without reason for existence. What followed was a brutal battle for survival. The history of Pembroke Dock is a fascinating social study, taking a community from its raw beginnings to full and accepted standing in the world. It makes compulsive reading for anyone who has an interest in history. Accent Press was founded in Pembroke Dock in 2003. Our first quayside offices overlooked the Gun Tower in the dock which is known as one of Palmerston’s Follies.

Shantyboat is the story of a leisurely journey down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. For most people such a journey is the stuff that dreams are made of, but for Harlan and Anna Hubbard, it became a cherished reality. In their small river craft, the Hubbards became one with the flowing river and its changing weathers. This book mirrors a life that is simple and independent, strenuous at times, but joyous, with leisure for painting and music, for observation and contemplation.

Concentrates on the period 1790-1833, especially the early nineteenth century when the Bombay merchant fleet was at its zenith, studying the ships, their trade and the men who owned or sailed in them. The picture is built up from a mass of details and references unearthed in the English East India Company's records and elsewhere, and includes contemporary experiences of sailing in these ships.

The first comprehensive study to be written on the history of ship launches and their ceremonies. Throughout history, man has been performing rituals at the launch of a new ship to seek supernatural or divine protection for his ship and those who will sail in her. The form of the ritual varies according to local custom and religion: from the breaking of a coconut, to the release of doves, to the role of astrologers in choosing an auspicious day for the launch. But the sentiment that lies behind all launching ceremonies is fear. At the moment of launching a new ship a seafarer is alert to any sign that his ship is not sound. He is superstitious and seeks reassurance that his ship and those who will sail in her will be protected. The rites of blood sacrifice and libations performed by the ancient Babylonians and Greeks are well evidenced. The evolution of this practice into today’s tradition of breaking a bottle of wine against the bow of a ship before launch, still symbolising sacrifice, is explored as well as the now widely practised custom of inviting ladies to name and launch new ships.