| Home | Sections | Shop CA House | Join the CA | Contact us |
|
| ||||
|
| ||||
Library > New Acquisitions > Book Review
The Encyclopedia of Yacht Designers; Lucia Del Sol Knight & Daniel B MacNaughton; Norton &Co., 200; £135
More than 80 contributors have provided several hundred biographies for this remarkably-comprehensive reference book, the scope of which is virtually world-wide. As the price ($250 in the USA and $350 in Canada) might suggest, the standard of presentation is high, with 580 pages and hundreds of superbly-reproduced photographs and plans to complement the concise and authoritative text. Many familiar names are there:- Fife, Herreshoff, Nicholson, Rasmussen and Watson all feature, together with photographs of their more splendid creations. But if you are interested in the designers of humbler craft, you may be disappointed. Among the designers omitted are Austin Farrar, David Hillyard and Robert Tucker, to whose creations many cruising sailors owe thanks for hundreds of hours of pleasure.
Steam and motor yachts are included, with some stunning interior and exterior photographs. Despite the plethora of contributors, the editors have achieved a remarkable conformity of style in the text, which can be relied on to educate and entertain you wherever you dip in. Although arguably less than encyclopaedic in its coverage, this handsome directory will surely remain the definitive work for a decade or longer. - JR
Page prepared 14 March 2006