The longer the time after the publication of a cruise book, the less
likely to obtain a copy. Ships usually contract with a publisher for a certain
number of copies based on the size of the crew and, often times, pre-sale
of the cruise book. After the initial sale of the cruise book, there may
be a dozen or so copies left over for additional sales, etc., but it is
not very long before those, too, are gone.
However, the Navy Department Library has a collection of old cruise books that can be searched on line. You can find their site at www.history.navy.mil/library/.
For ships still in commission, you can write to the public affairs officer of that ship and ask if there are any books left, keeping in mind the information above. You will find the ship's mailing address in the Ships Lists. If you know the publisher's name and address (we do not maintain those), you can write to that publisher.
Updated: 12 February 2004
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