The Book of the Sailboat opens with the oldest story on water: how humanity moved from logs, rafts, bark canoes, hide boats, and dugouts to the varied small craft that still carry the spirit of seamanship today. A. Hyatt Verrill blends that history with a practical handbook for readers who want to understand how boats are built, rigged, handled, and cared for. From the first crude watercraft to the traditions preserved by Indians, Eskimos, Britons, Orientals, and South Sea islanders, the book shows how ingenuity shaped every stage of sailing—and why the small boat remains unmatched for freedom and pleasure. Along the way, it explains how to choose the right craft for the right purpose, comparing whaleboats, surfboats, lifeboats, dories, sharpies, skipjacks, and others by their seaworthiness, stability, speed, and local use. Readers learn the anatomy of a boat, the varieties of bows and sterns, the handling of sails, reefing, furling, anchoring, moorings, maintenance, repairs, and the essential knots and splices every sailor should know. Clear, illustrated, and hands-on, this is both a beginner's guide and a celebration of small-boat seamanship. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.