On Saturday, the 29th of November, the book ‘Xlendi and its Ancient Shipwrecks,’ by John Woods, will be launched at the Ministry for Gozo.

This book, Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum’s first, is published in association with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti.

The book describes the 1961 survey of the Xlendi wrecks which was led by John Woods, at the time a physics undergraduate and President of the Underwater Club at Imperial College London.

He spent the next ten summers combining science and diving for the Royal Navy in Malta. His career alternated between being a Professor of Oceanography (Southampton, Kiel & London) and a senior civil servant (UK Director of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences).

Woods was awarded the Founder’s gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2007 he shared in the Nobel Peace Prize for Climate.

The book is complemented by original colour underwater photographs taken during the survey.

The links to Palazzo Falson are strong as Olof Frederick Gollcher, who owned and lived in Palazzo Falson for many years of his life, was instrumental in enabling and guiding, together with the then Malta National Museum, this pioneering underwater exploration.

The book launch takes place at the Ministry for Gozo, St Francis Square, Victoria, starting at 11.00am.

Everyone is welcome to attend and seating is on a first come, first served basis.

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