The allure of the boathouse defies definition. To some they're a place to loaf about with friends on a summer's afternoon, to others they're secret bolt holes, the waterfront equivalent of a garden shed. Some people even store boats in them. Boathouses are found in countless contexts around the world. But though disparate in form and appearance these structures built for the protection, construction and maintenance of boats are united by the natural beauty of their waterfront locations and the innovation required for their construction. In this superbly illustrated book, Adam Mornement describes the history and evolution of some forty boathouses from around the world, from the mid-eighteenth century to the twenty-first. Following a wide-ranging introduction, his examples include ceremonial boathouses, lifeboat stations, military facilities, boathouses as mausoleums and eye catchers in the landscape, boathouses in public parks, and private writing rooms. Some are the work of famous architects, including Robert Adam, Frank Lloyd Wright, Renzo Piano and Shigeru Ban, but most are anonymous. Each in its own way embodies the adventure, charm and romance of this visually arresting and consistently surprising building type.