Books by William Gilkerson that are still in print should be ordered from the publishers listed. Out-of-print titles may generally be located from one or another of the bookfinding services that are available on the Web. Mr. Gilkerson’s books are listed in reverse chronological order.
A Thousand Years of Pirates
A Thousand Years of Pirates, illustrated and written by William Gilkerson, published in Canada by Tundra Books, 2009; 96 pages with 67 colour and b&w illustrations. As cited by Publisher’s Weekly: “Beginning with Vikings and conquistadores, this account of pirate … See more…
Pirate’s Passage
After winning the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature in 2006, Pirate’s Passage has been reprinted in several editions in North America and abroad (most recently in Russian), and is currently being made into a 10-part animated film series by the actor Donald Sutherland, whose voice is that of the captain, the book’s storyteller.
See more...Ultimate Voyage
Ultimate Voyage, Shambhala Publications, Boston, 1998. Subtitled. A Book of Five Mariners, this is the artist’s first novel, a maritime historical yarn with color frontispiece and brush and ink drawings throughout. With 326 pages in 6″ x 9″ format. Hardbound.
See more...Boarders Away, Volume II
The second volume, subtitled With Fire, continues pioneering research of the previous work, dealing with the firearms and combustibles of the sailing navies. With 332 pages in the same format as the first volume, but double the text and the … See more…
Boarders Away, Volume I
Boarders Away (Volume I & II), Andrew Mowbray, Inc., Lincoln, R.I., 1991. The first volume, subtitled With Steel – the edged weapons and polearms of the classical age of fighting sail, 1626-1826…tracing their development in the navies of England and … See more…
The Ships of John Paul Jones
The Ships of John Paul Jones, Naval Institute Press and the Beverley R. Robinson Collection, U.S. Naval Academy Museum 1987. Portrays all of Jones’s ships, as well as other vessels that he sailed on, with accompanying story text by the … See more…
An Arctic Whaling Sketchbook
An Arctic Whaling Sketchbook, Edward J. Lefkowicz, Inc., Fairhaven, 1983. Includes artist’s remarks regarding the studies prepared for American Whalers in the Western Arctic, plus reproductions of scores of drawings; 56 pages in 15″ x 12″ format, two-color, in an … See more…
American Whalers in the Western Arctic
American Whalers in the Western Arctic, Edward J. Lefkowicz, Inc., Fairhaven, 1983. Subtitled: The final epoch of the great American sailing whaling fleet, an anecdotal history by John R. Bockstoce, with portfolio of 12 color plates by Gilkerson plus numerous … See more…
Maritime Arts
Maritime Arts by William Gilkerson, published by the Peabody Museum of Salem, 1981. Text and reproductions (in color and black and white) covering all work which appeared in the museum’s 1981 one-man show by the artist. 96 pages in 8½” … See more…
The Scrimshander
The Scrimshander, Troubador Press, San Francisco, 1975. Subtitled: The nautical ivory worker and his art of scrimshaw, historical and contemporary. Includes text on old and new scrimshaw, and primarily a photographic, portfolio in black and white of Gilkerson scrimshaw. Contains … See more…
From Rocks to Rockets
Osprey Books has re-released the author’s 1963 classic Gilkerson On War under the new title From Rocks to Rockets, in reformatted United Kingdom and North American editions. “William Gilkerson takes the history of the human race and puts it in words … See more…
Gilkerson on War
Osprey Books has re-released the author’s 1963 classic Gilkerson On War under the new title From Rocks to Rockets, in reformatted United Kingdom and North American editions. “William Gilkerson takes the history of the human race and puts it in … See more…