Bowditch — out of print — returning

Mariners looking for a copy of Nathaniel Bowditch’sclassic tome The American Practical Navigator may have to scramble for a few more months until the government produces the 2002 edition, since copies of the last edition are out of print and selling fast. The last copy, published in 1995 in one volume, can still be found at select stores, although many have reportedly sold out. (Copies can still be downloaded free in PDF format from the National Imagery and Mapping Association website, www.nima.mil.) The 2002 edition, in honor of the book’s bicentennial - it was originally published by the old master in 1802 - will be available early next year, according to Richard Hubbard, one of the editors at NIMA.