Landscape-format book with papered-board covers, soft red-leather spine and fore-edge corners, containing 24 lithographed and titled plates, PAI1719-PAI1742. The lithography, after Stedman (1831-1909), has been attributed to Winslow Homer; see Notebook field.

The title and imprint details are lithographed on the cover (i.e. no internal t/p) above and below a central vignette of the head and shoulders of a sailor in yachting dress including a straw hat. The full imprint reads 'Boston, / Published by A. Williams & Co. / 100, Washington Street, / 1857'. The title and imprint lettering is hand-written in several styles of capitals and the design is framed in an oval formed by a piece of rigging, the ends loosely tied upper left, with a hook and block on one end and an eye at the other. The back cover is plain and the spine bears a lengthways paper title label (in capitals); 'Hardy Lee Yacht'. To the left of the sailor's head on the cover the name 'Francis' is written in upright pencil script, and just below this but separately is the circled date or figure '1854', apparently in the same hand. Top right on the inside front cover, by the spine, is a pencil inscription in another hand reading '4 -26 -96 Mrs Julia ...' or possibly 'Mrs Julin...' the rest being lost in the insertion of the front end leaf (see below): the figure is presumably an American-style date (April 26 1896). Another pencil note, top centre in yet another hand, identifies the creator as Stedman. There are glue traces of a former label, about the size of a visiting card, in the top left corner.

Glued at the centre of the inside cover is a small perforated plain file/index card with a newsprint cutting stuck on it. The spelling shows it is American, not British and the number preceding the text indicates it is from some form of listing. It reads: