The HarvillPress, 1998; £45;
Another magnificent large format book of Beken photographs which will make the stoutest coffee table sag, and is a worthy successor to the earlier volumes: "A Hundred Years of Sail" and "The America's Cup". The yachts are arranged into three categories: Spirit of Tradition", "Cruiser-Racers", and " Grand-Prix Elite" and the stunning colour photographs are unsullied by captions except to tell the reader the name of the yacht depicted. Instead, in the back of the book, is a description of each by yachting journalist Tim Jeffery. These give interesting and often fresh details, especially of many of the old-timers in the first category, though there are one or two occasional lapses - for example, "Jolie Brise" was bought and raced by E G Martin not Weston Martyr.
Jeffery has also written the introduction which describes the present, third, generation of the Beken family, Keith and Kenneth, and how they work. The photograph of "Silk" pitchpoling is quite astounding - and rather scary. In this reviewer's copy one or two spreads had been misprinted. The publishers became aware of this in production and corrected it but it is worth checking those on 38-39, 42-43 and 46-47 before buying. -ID