This is far from a definitive list of readings and books about underwater archaeology, exploration, and shipwrecks. I have tried to include here good texts and references, as well as some of the "popular literature" that has a historical/archaeology component. Please send any comments or suggestions about this reading list to Gary Kessler.
Adams, J.R. (2013). A Maritime Archaeology of Ships: Innovation and Social Change in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe.
Adams, J., & Ronnby, J. (Eds.). (2014). Interpreting Shipwrecks: Maritime Archaeology Approaches.
Babits, L.E., & Van Tilburg, H. (Eds.). (2013). Maritime Archaeology: A Reader of Substantive and Theoretical Contributions.
Bass, G.F. (Ed.). (1996). Ships and Shipwrecks of the Americas: A History Based on Underwater Archaeology .
Bass, G.F. (2005). Beneath the Seven Seas.
Bowens, A. (Ed.). (2011). Underwater Archaeology: The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice, (2nd. ed.).
Burgess, R.F. (2012). Man: 12,000 Years Under the Sea: A Story of Underwater Archaeology.
Catsambis, A., Ford, B., Hamilton, D.L. (eds.). (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Maritime Archaeology.
Crisman, K.J., & Cohn, A.B. (1998). When Horses Walked on Water: Horse-Powered Ferries in Nineteenth-Century America Hardcover.
Crisman, K.J., & Rybka, W. (2014). Coffins of the Brave: Lake Shipwrecks of the War of 1812.
Dellino-Musgrave, V. (2006). Maritime Archaeology and Social Relations: British Action in the Southern Hemisphere.
Ewen, C.R., & Skowronek, R.K. (2016). Pieces of Eight: More Archaeology of Piracy.
Ford, B.L. (Ed.). (2011). The Archaeology of Maritime Landscapes.
Gould, R.A. (2011). Archaeology and the Social History of Ships (2nd ed.).
Green, J. (2004). Maritime Archaeology, Second Edition: A Technical Handbook (2nd ed.).
Martin, L.R. (2001). The Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships and Boats.
McKinnon, J.F., & Carrell, T.L. (Eds.). (2015). Underwater Archaeology of a Pacific Battlefield: The WWII Battle of Saipan.
Muckelroy, K. (1978). Maritime Archaeology (New Studies in Archaeology) .
Mutton, K. (2013). Sunken Realms: A Survey of Underwater Ruins Around the World.
Ruppe, C.V., & Barstad, J.F. (Eds.). (2013). International Handbook of Underwater Archaeology.
Skowronek, R.K., & Ewen, C.R. (2007). X Marks the Spot: The Archaeology of Piracy.
Staniforth, M., & Nash, M. (Eds.). (2006). Maritime Archaeology: Australian Approaches.
Steffy, J.R. (2012). Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks .
Steffy, L.C. (2012). The Man Who Thought like a Ship.
Stemm, G., & Kingsley, S.A. (2011). Oceans Odyssey 2: Underwater Heritage Management & Deep-Sea Shipwrecks in the English Channel & Atlantic Ocean.
Veronico, N.A. (2015). Hidden Warships: Finding World War II's Abandoned, Sunk, and Preserved Warships.
The Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) Quarterly
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (Nautical Archaeology Society)
Journal of Maritime Archaeology
Mariner's Mirror (The Society For Nautical Research)
Sea History (The National Maritime Historical Society)
***** See also Per Åkesson's list *****
Kurson, R. (2004). Shadow Divers.
Kurson, R. (2015). Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship.
Lenihan, D. (2009). Submerged: Adventures of America's Most Elite Underwater Archeology Team.
Peffer, R. (2016). Where Divers Dare: The Hunt for the Last U-Boat.