New Paperback Edition of Classic Boatbuilding Manual Available

Kingston, WA, December 18, 2008 --(PR.com)-- A new edition of Practical Boat Building for Amateurs by Adrian Neison and Dixon Kemp is now available in a handy paperback version from Dixon-Price Publishing, Kingston, Wash.

First written and published in the late 1880s, Neison's orignal text was edited and reinforced in the 1890s by legendary designer Dixon Kemp. For more than 100 years, the book has been considered one of the best introductory texts on boat building.

"This is one of those books that is hard to find in the antiquarian market," says Dixon-Price Publishing's Kendall Hanson. "Because of this, we decided to produce an affordable paperback as a reading copy for those who were interested not only in the techniques of building small boats, but also for those who appreciate the evolution of the craft."

One of the high points of the book, he adds, is a valuable chapter on building John MacGregor's "Rob Roy" canoe. "Students of the craft are also likely to learn quite a bit from the chapter on Designing which Kemp enhanced and expanded when he re-edited the work in the 1890s."

However, the construction of several types of small boats are considered, and Neison's plan is to take the reader from initial design through a "stepped" process of increased complexity. Beginning with construction of a basic punt, the book's chapter proceed next to a simple flat-bottom boat, then on to clench-built skiffs, sailing boats, the famous Rob Roy, and then some of the more distinctive small craft of the time: the Canadian bateaux, the canvas canoe, and the American shooting punt.

This new edition, Hanson points out, has been graphically redesigned as well, with larger type and illustrations, and has been re-edited for easier reading. Suggested retail is $9.99 U.S. Practical Boat Building for Amateurs, ISBN-13 1-929516-13-1, is available online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers, and available to bookstores and libraries through Ingrams and Baker & Taylor in the U.S.; Arbor Distributors in Canada; Bertram's, Blackwell, Coutts, Cypher Library in the U.K.; and Gardner's and Dawson Library for the EU.

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