A BOOK has been published tracing the history of ferry links between the Isle of Wight and the mainland.

Wightlink Isle of Wight ferries by John Hendy records almost 200 years of maritime history from tiny paddle steamers to the large modern car ferries.

Wightlink head of marketing Janet Saville said: "This is an important and entertaining chronicle of maritime history on the Solent. The Island first became popular because of the interest shown by prominent Victorians and it is fascinating to trace the growth of cross-Solent traffic since then."