was from a book store sale in which all sale books had inside corner of dust cover cut off A colorful and exciting look at the world of sailing. After a solid chapter on the history of yachting, which features a good chronology from the early 17th century to the present, there is a good chapter on cruising, followed by another thorough chapter on offshore racing. Also covered are the America's Cup races, inshore racing, and the Olympic Games. Most of these sections also include nice historical statistical lists. A keelboat and dinghy section provides color drawings of the various classes and pertinent design features as well as dates they were designed, etc. The book concludes with a detailed series of mini-charts of popular sailing areas around the world. This work compares quite favorably with other picture books on the history of yachting, and it is particularly valuable as a reference source for the statistical information and diagrams of race courses and sailing areas provided. As one would expect from the editors of Sail , there are also beautiful color photographs and illustrations. This is a very worthwhile addition to the sailing collection of most public libraries. - John Kenny, San Francisco P.L. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.