Book review. A Maritime Lexicon: Arabic Nautical Terminology in the Indian Ocean: Studies on Ibadism and Oman, Vol. 11, by Abdulrahman Al Salimi and Eric Staples, Hildesheim, Germany, Georg Olms Verlag, 2019

While there are many books that purport to list the dhows and seafaring terms of the Indian Ocean, none is quite like this. A Maritime Lexicon does exactly what it says on the cover, but the title is altogether unassuming. The comprehensive coverage and superb illustrations make this book unique among similar offerings of Indian Ocean seafaring. In six sections it covers Arabic terms used for pre-modern watercraft types, boatbuilding, seafaring, navigation, fishing and pearling, and even currency, used over the past 1000 years or more. Unusually for recent examples of the genre, this work is completely bilingual, offering mirrored entries, captions and indexes in both Arabic and English. This is a solid text, both in scholarship and in physical presence, and at over three kilograms will be a prominent addition to any library of Indian Ocean seafaring, language or culture.