Book excerpt: Since the dawn of history, the sea has connected and divided human societies. In order to address this, increasingly ingenious and innovative technological solutions have been developed, and the sea has never been an insuperable barrier to mankind. This book presents the proceedings of ICNM 2019, the 3rd International Conference on Nautical and Maritime Culture, held in Naples, Italy, on 14 and 15 November 2019. The conference covers all conceptual and theoretical aspects relating to nautical and maritime culture, and topics covered by the 21 papers presented here include: the history of ships and navigation; maritime museums and libraries; naval architecture and the evolution of marine engineering; the conservation of nautical marine and maritime heritage; ship and nautical design; careers at sea; and the evolution of the waterfront and the coastal marine environment. The ICNM conference promotes dialogue between academics, professionals, and those involved in maritime research and development, and the book will be of interest to all those with an involvement in nautical and maritime culture.