Vintage Observer's Books Ships, Astronomy, Sea Fishes and Atlas Set in Blue, Green and Orange

A ship, a map, the stars to steer by and a guide to whatever might end up on the end of your line: these four vintage Observer's Pocket Books have the makings of a very small voyage. The colours help too, with dove grey Ships, burnt orange Tourist Atlas, apple green Sea Fishes and denim blue Astronomy stacking into a cheerful striped block, each spine still marked with its Warne series number (15, 63, 28 and 32).

Astronomy is the work of Patrick Moore, who presented The Sky at Night for more than fifty years and introduced a generation to the planets through books like this one. The Tourist Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland was produced by John Bartholomew, the Edinburgh map makers, and arrived in 1976 as one of the later numbered titles. Ships and Sea Fishes come from the series' earlier run of practical spotter's guides, written for the pocket of anyone heading to a harbour wall.

Each book measures roughly 14.5 x 9.5cm (5.75 x 3.75 inches). Their faded, sea washed colours suit a coastal scheme particularly well. Try them stacked under a shell or a piece of driftwood on a bathroom shelf, or propped against a green glass bottle on a windowsill. They would also sit well in a guest room for visitors to leaf through, and make a lovely present for a sailor, a stargazer or anyone who looks forward all year to a seaside holiday.

All four are hardbacks in their original boards and come without dust jackets. They have been well used and show it a little, with rubbing and marks to the covers, some fading and softened corners. Sea Fishes also has a dark blue ink mark on its outer page edges, shown in the photos, which disappears from view once the books stand spine out on a shelf. The bindings hold and the text and illustrations inside remain clear. Please have a look through the photos, which form part of the description.

Small, colourful and full of salt air, this is a set made for a shelf by the sea, or one that wishes it were.