{"product_id":"2940012324481","title":"The America's Cup: How It Was Won By The Yacht \"America\" in 1851 And Has Been Since Defended","description":"Published in New York in 1885. Very detailed history of America's Cup Racing. (201 pages)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e......The America's Cup is of solid silver, ewer-shaped, and elaborately ornamented. It stands full two feet high and weighs at least one hundred ounces. Around its broadest part are medallions, variously inscribed. The first inscription is as follows: \"One hundred guinea Cup, won August 22, 1851, at Cowes, England, by yacht  'America,' at the Royal Yacht Squadron regatta, open to all nations, beating,\" and then follows the names of all the vessels which started in the race of 1851. On the next medallion is engraved \"Schooner 'America,' 170 tons. Commodore John C. Stevens; built by George Steers, New York, 1851.\" On the other spaces are inscriptions recording the results of the races with the schooners \"Cambria,\" \"Livonia,\" and \"Countess of Dufferin\" and the sloop \"Atalanta.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Publisher has copy-edited this book to improve the formatting, style and accuracy of the text to make it readable. This did not involve changing the substance of the text.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e......Having been present at all of the races for the America's Cup, with the exception of the first one at Cowes, and having witnessed nearly all of the important yachting contests in this country for the past twenty years, which my previous twenty-five years of \"tall water sailing,\" as a sailor would say, enabled me to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate, I thought that perhaps I, to a greater degree than some others, was most competent to give, not only to the yachting public, but to the public generally, a detailed and correct history of the America's Cup, and of the contests for it up to the present time. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e......By the courtesy of Mr. Charles A. Minton, the secretary of the New York Yacht Club, and of Mr. Neils Olsen, its steward, I have been enabled to quote largely from the official documents in the possession of the club. From the great mass of material in my possession, I have culled a number of extracts from the newspapers, illustrative of public opinion; but in all cases I have been careful to quote only those writers known to be well competent to express a sound opinion upon all matters relating to yachts and yachting. The accounts of the races I have written from my own recollections of them, aided by the official figures. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e......I have written this with the intention of making it a book of reference, not only during the pending contests.\u003cbr\u003eRoland F. Coffin. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContents:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter I. \u003cbr\u003eHOW THE \"AMERICA\" WON THE CUP. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter II. \u003cbr\u003eTHE RACE FOR THE CUP IN 1870. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter III. \u003cbr\u003eA PEN AND INK CONTEST FOR THE CUP. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter IV. \u003cbr\u003eTHE \"LIVONIA,\" \"COLUMBIA,\" \"SAPPHO.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter V. \u003cbr\u003e1876. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter VI. \u003cbr\u003e1881, \"ATALANTA,\" \"MISCHIEF.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter VII. \u003cbr\u003ePREPARATIONS FOR THE RACES IN 1885. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExcerpts:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e......\"It is to be distinctly understood, that the Cup is to be the property of the club, and not of the members thereof, or owners of the vessel winning it in a match; and that the condition of keeping it open to be sailed for by yacht clubs of all foreign countries upon the terms above laid down, shall forever attach to it, thus making it perpetually a Challenge Cup for friendly competition between foreign countries.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e......So thoroughly was the fact accepted by Great Britain that American yachts were superior in speed to anything that could be produced on that side of the ocean, that for eleven years the New York Club held the cup undisturbed; although the letter of the America's owners, with the terms of the deed of gift, had been sent to every yacht club in the world. None of course except British clubs had any vessel of sufficient speed to challenge with any hope of success, and, as I have said, for eleven years no British owner had confidence enough in his yacht to make the venture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e......Meantime, great changes had been taking place in the maritime status of the two countries. Only a couple of years before the America won this Cup, Great Britain's Parliament passed the Navigation Act, opening all British ports to the commerce of the world. Previous to that, the laws of that country were practically the same as our present absurd laws, and only British ships were allowed to carry cargo between British ports. When the Navigation Act was passed, the British ship-owner imagined that he saw nothing but ruin before him. American ships and American officers were acknowledged to be superior to all others, as is proven by the fact that the merchant could ship his goods in American bottoms at a rate of insurance below that which he had to pay in vessels of other nations, so that when British ports were opened to ships of all nations, the British ship-owner bewailed the expected loss of, \"not only our East and West India trade,\" but prophesied \"the Yankees will take .........","brand":"Digital Text Publishing Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47069272146160,"sku":"2940012324481","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940012324481_p0.jpg?v=1763567237","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940012324481","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}