Roger Marshall, 214pp, 1999

Naval architect Marshall broadly defines the cruising sailboat for this book – everything from a 20-ft. weekender to a single-handed racer. He discusses hull shapes, seaworthiness, comfort, performance, maintenance and cost both in general and for each specific type, resulting in an enormous amount of information to sift through. A careful reading will give solid advice to the boat shopper, but expect to spend some time and take copious notes.