Jane D. Lyon

Against fantastic odds, a small group of men had built a fleet that proved one of the decisive factors in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. They had gathered the wealth that founded the first banks in the United States and built its first railroads, factories, and steamships. Now, they were to cap their achievements by making it equally superior in size, and in the process, producing the greatest, swiftest, and most beautiful craft the world had ever seen - the clipper ship. This book not only traces the origins and achievements of the clipper, but enlivens the dry bones of historic fact with flesh and blood. A great era comes to life with the courageous, tenacious stories of shipbuilders and captains and crews.