Old sailors loved nothing better than vying with one another at sea or in harbor to recognize a ship or boat on the horizon. It was sometimes an important life-saving talent to have in battle; modern boat enthusiasts, including yachtsman and fishermen, still like to indulge their nostalgic fancy in this old interest. There have been many thousands of water vessels developed within the last three and a half thousand years, from the simple wooden log or dug-out to the huge sophisticated ships of Brunel and other nineteenth century designers. It is the author's intention to give reader's a simple, quick reference book, illustrating and describing briefly some of these old ships and boats up to the turn of the century. It is not a definitive work (if it was it would be more than one volume), but a handy book for those many enthusiasts who love the sea and would like to know more about these old and interesting vessels.