A new book exploring Britain�s maritime history, the official title of SeaBritain 2005, is released this summer. The Island Nation: A History of Britain and the Sea, launched at the International Festival of the Sea in Portsmouth on 30 June 2005, discusses why being an island is so important to Britain and how our rich and complex relationship with the sea has shaped our national psyche.

Supported by VisitBritain and the National Maritime Museum, The Island Nation is published as part of the major SeaBritain 2005 initiative whose aim is to co-ordinate all the various events that are planned for the bicentenary of The Battle of Trafalgar and to celebrate Britain�s rich maritime history. Visitors are being encouraged to take the plunge and immerse themselves in the wealth of waterside wonders available in this country. Attractions such as Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Bamburgh Caslte in Northumbria and Hartlepool Historic Quay are featured in the final section of the book, which takes the form of a Gazetteer to 150 maritime heritage sites, inspiring readers to get out and discover England�s nautical attractions.

The book is published by Conway Maritime Press and written by Brian Lavery of the National Maritime Museum, the most prolific naval historian in the UK and best-selling author. His last book is an international bestseller and was used as a technical reference by Peter Weir and his crew during the filming of 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'.

The publication complements watersideEngland, a campaign created to motivate and inspire Brits to explore England�s waterways and coastline. Enjoy England has produced a lavish 60 page free guide to enjoying the waterside in England, saturated with information on waterside pursuits and including listings of key events taking place in each region. It also includes a 16-page supplement on SeaBritain 2005 activities.

For a free copy of the watersideEngland brochure call 0845 408 1805 or visit www.enjoyengland.com/waterside For further information on SeaBritain visit www.seabritain2005.com

--ENDS-- For further information please contact: Rae White / Tess Sullivan VisitBritain Press Office Tel: 020 8563 3378 / 020 8563 3351 Email: rae.white@visitbritain.org/tess.sullivan@visitbritain.org

For more information on SeaBritain 2005 please contact: Deirdre Livingstone SeaBritain 2005 Tel: 020 8312 8610 Email: dlivingstone@nmm.ac.uk

For more information on Conway, an imprint of The Chrysalis Books Group please contact: Saul Rice 020 7314 1432 or srice@chrysalisbooks.co.uk

Notes to editors:

� Island Nation is priced at �20.00 and is available from UK bookshops, by mail-order hotline or from the VisitBritain online bookshop. Tel: VisitBritain Fulfilment Centre on 0870 606 7204 or email: fulfilment@visitbritain.org. To order via the online bookshop go to www.visitbritain.com and click on the online shop.

� VisitBritain produces a monthly electronic newsletter for UK media entitled AngloFILE. To register for, or to view previous editions go to www.enjoyengland.com/presscentre