NavList:

I have been following this exchange of messages and being relatively new to CN compared to many, I’d like to add a comment. I have taken several of Frank’s classes over the years and was intrigued by the historical aspect of CN. From the beginning, I was mostly impressed by the simplicity in terms of mathematics, having once thought it involved much higher math. Naturally I pursued other publications looking for the roots of all this simplicity. I found some of the initial modern publication lacking the details I sought.  Enter John Karl’s “CN in the GPS Age”. I found myself engrossed in the explanations and math equations which appealed to me as well.

Having digesting this book and referencing other material from Frank’s classes, I came to the realization that CN can be many things to different people and varies as much as their interest in the subject 

i recently purchased a reprint of “Improved Practical Navigator” dated from 1802. I believe this is a British publication, revised by Thomas Kirby. The price as shown on the cover is ten schillings, which loosely translates into $18 from the Harvard Book Store. This is not an advertisement by any means. My point is I had found this late 18th century text to satisfy me desire for the historical aspect of CN  I think that is what John Karl’s book does as well, it satisfies for some folks the “there, there” of CN