The practice of shipping law requires access to a large number of source materials. The library of a specialist law firm will contain comprehensive collections of the relevant statutes, statutory instruments, international Conventions, and standard shipping documents. The object of this publication is to gather together those materials to which reference is most frequently made. It is hoped that it will prove useful both to those who do not have access to a library and also to those who do but would nonetheless value the convenience of a collection which may be kept readily to hand. I have had in mind primarily the needs of those who are engaged in the contentious aspects of shipping law. These, of course, are not limited to matters relevant only to shipping disputes. Materials have therefore been included which are of wider application, such as the Arbitration Act 1996. The principal source not included is case law, the volume and variety of which prohibit the making of a selection which would be useful to practitioners. Materials relating to non-contentious matters, such as ship registration, are not included. International Conventions are an important source of maritime law, and are numerous. The criterion for inclusion in this book is not whether the UK is a party to the relevant Convention, but whether the text is frequently referred to by practitioners. For example, the Limitation Conventions of 1957 and 1976 are both included, although the UK is no longer a party to the former.