This book was first published in 1963, under the title An Introduction to Yachting, a misnomer that no doubt caused many a would-be-yachtie to pick it up in the hope that here was a book that might transform him from zero to hero in a few comprehensive lessons.

Instead, the reader would have found himself drawn into a world of yachting very different from anything he may have imagined. For here is a history book, quickly tracing yachting from 6000 BC to the era of great steam yachts, before lingering lovingly on not only lifestyles of days gone by, but giving wonderful accounts of some stunning yachts and their races, in what was truly the Golden Age of Yachting, which was a far more appropriate title for publication that will really appeal to lovers of folklore and traditional sailing.

– Sailing and Yachting

This volume traces the history of yachting in America and Britain from the 1600s to the 1920s. Herreshoff recounts the steam era, the development of the marine steam engine, the origin of the America's Cup, developments in English yachting, and specific yachts, races and types. Many b&w photos and illustrations are provided; no bibliography. The book was first published in 1963 as An Introduction to Yachting and was reprinted in 1980; it now has a new title for his paperback edition. Herreshoff was a yacht designer and the author of The Compleat Cruiser.

– Booknews