Ebook Sea-Lore

To the author who so succinctly introduces his book that we can decide then and there, without wasting any time, whether this is the sort of book that edifies us, amuses us, or instructs us. Here the writer's task should be simple. This is a popular work on sailing-ships, the sea, and sailors; in short, the lore of the sea, written mainly for landsmen by one who loves the sea and ships, not for their tragedies and their sordid side, but for their beauty and inspiration. This book aspires to nothing higher than to be an introduction to a further interest in the subject. It informs a little (to those who wish to be informed), and it diverts a little (for those who seek an entertainment). It discusses, in a non-technical manner, most aspects of life at sea and ships in the old days of sail. There are signs of a general renaissance of interest in the sea and ships, and any propaganda that can be contributed to this most wholesome trend is all to the good. Furthermore, it is not too much to say that the matter is presented in an entirely new guise. Writers are frequently at the mercy of their illustrators, for it is plain that no two minds can think exactly alike, and the author is fortunate who gets his text adorned just as he wants it to be. The remedy, then, is to do one's own illustrations, a plan which has been carried out in the present case, and if the author finds fault with the manner of illustrating and decorating the text he.