Often celebrated as one of the most handsome, fast and versatile rigs to grace sailing vessels, the origins of the term 'schooner' have remained uncertain. The majority of studies have placed the main emphasis on the rig as it was applied to merchant vessels since around 1850. The book puts forward a new explanation, based on primary source material, of the origins of the schooner tracing the term and its practical application back to England in 1697. The evolution of the rig is then traced through Europe and the US in the course of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The author isolates and examines four specific types, each is illustrated by the concentration on, and explanation of, a particular vessel complete with full specifications, illustrations, model photographs and detailed line drawings. The vessels covered are the Baltimore Clipper Berbice, the coast guard vessel Elgen, the gunboat Axel Thorsen and the merchants schooners The Schooner for Port Jackson and the Enterprize. The volume then details the construction and fitting, the masting and rigging as well as the armament and furniture of both merchant and naval schooners. Each of these sections is fully illustrated with detailed plates together with plans. Four tabulated appendices detail contemporary timber, mast and spar dimensions together with measurements for rigging, anchors, oars and boats.