And Now The Shipping Forecast

A Tide of History Around Our Shores

Peter Jefferson

The Shipping Forecast' broadcast daily on BBC Radio 4 has a huge following of listeners who tune in to enjoy the cadence and poetry of tha language and the soothing voice of the reader.

This book -- forthcoming media events and appearances

Fri 2-Mar-2012: RHS Wisley, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB. Booksigning morning and afternoon.
Mon 5-Mar-2012: The Stratford Society, Stratford-on-Avon;
Peter will talk about The Shipping Forecast and his BBC career.
Tue 6-Mar-2012: 10:30-14:30: booksigning, Waterstones Stratford upon Avon, UK

Recent

Sat 18-Feb-2012: BBC Radio 4. Peter presents the Archive on 4 programme, entitled Attentional All Shipping, about the shipping forecast.
Wed 1-Feb-2012: Simon Mayo Show, BBC Radio 2
Sat 19-Nov-2011: 12:00-15:00 booksigning, Waterstones, Kingston upon Thames, UK
Sat 29-Oct-2011: 11:00-15:00 booksigning, Waterstones, Windsor, Berks, UK
Sunday 23-Oct-2011: Peter Jefferson at Words in Walden Festival,
Saffron Walden, Essex. Preview
Sun 25-Sep-2011: 10:30 Wigtown Book Festival, Scotland.
Peter Jefferson, the face and voice for 40 years behind that much-loved
part of the British cultural landscape And Now for the Shipping Forecast,
read poems and excerpts from his book of the same name and give a witty
insight into what it was like reading this daily bulletin.
Wed 18-May-2011, 09:05: Peter Jefferson on Midweek, BBC Radio 4. (Podcast).
Tue 31-May-2011 - BBC1 TV, The One Show
Wed 1-Jun-2011 - BBC London, Robert Elms Show - 1330
Mon 6-Jun-2011 - BBC Radio Surrey, afternoon show with Allison Ferns
Wed 15-Jun-2011 - Steve Wright in the Afternoon, BBC Radio 2.
Sun 3-Jul-2011, 11:00: book signing, Waterstones, Guildford, UK
Sat 16-Jul-2011: 10:00-14:00 booksigning, Waterstones, Walton on Thames, UK
Sat 3-Sep-2011: 11:00-15:00 booksigning, Waterstones, Newbury, Berks, UK

The Shipping Forecast has become a national institution. This book explains its history and answers many of the questions people ask themselves as they listen: What does all the terminology mean? How is the forecast put together? Why where particular shipping areas chosen and what notable historical events happened in those areas? What technology is involved, and how has this changed over the years?

Maps and pictures are included, and the book is peppered with interesting anecdotes and observations from Peter Jefferson, who draws on his experience of reading the forecast for over 40 years.

Endorsements & Reviews

"And Now the Shipping Forecast' by Peter Jefferson is a good read."
Sean Street, 26-May-2011
@seanstreet7 on Twitter

"And Now the Shipping Forecast (Paperback) An exciting new view on the Shipping Areas around the British Isles. As an ex meteorologist, I have a special interest in the weather around our coasts. I like the way Peter draws in some history associated with each area. Well done Peter."
Baglanbay (CHESTER)
Amazon.co.uk, 2011

"For this daily dose of the beautiful to work, nothing is more important than the god who administers it. None has been more perfect in the last few years than Peter Jefferson, the voice of perfect modulation, the near-equal of the incomparable Charlotte Green, neither thin nor fruity, effortlessly clear, understanding that the beauty of the moment depends on restraint and the absence of any hint of doubt."
The Guardian, in 2009, of Peter Jefferson’s long career reading the Shipping Forecast