The history of America is largely a history of the sea. This marvellous book features a selection of more than two hundred of the finest objects from Mystic Seaport that tell the history of America and its maritime heritage. Presented with accessible texts and beautiful reproductions are masterpieces of maritime painting, exquisite photographs of classic yachts and powerboat races, and diverse prints and watercolours. Unique examples of American folk art - yarn paintings, reverse paintings on glass, sailors' valentines, shadowbox ship models, and ships in bottles - are also explored in detail, along with watercraft, scrimshaw, ship figureheads, and silver yachting trophies. Essays written by distinguished experts describe the individual forms of expression, discuss the artists and craftsmen, and offer commentary on the ways in which America's maritime history is interwoven with its economic development and cultural history. Elegantly designed and lavishly produced, "America and the Sea" offers intriguing new evidence of the indisputable relevance of maritime history to American life and art.