This vintage book contains a fascinating history of the steamboat, exploring its origin and evolution with a particular focus on American steamboats. A steamboat is a boat that that relies on steam power for its propulsion, usually powered by driving propellers or paddlewheels. With the increasing reliability of steam power, it was also eventually applied to larger vessels that travelled on the ocean. This volume is highly recommended for those with an interest in steam power and especially the history and evolution of boat design. Contents include: "A History of Steam Navigation", "Early Experiments", "Wm. Symington's Steam-tug, 1902", "Robert Fulton's French Experiments, 1802-4", "Inland Steam Navigation, United States, 1809", "The Savannah, the First Ocean Steamship, 1819", "David Napier Enterprise, 1819-22", "First Steamboats on the Missouri", "The Robert Fulton Steamship between New Orleans and New York", etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with the original text and artwork.