Larry Larkin’s grand & Glorious... It Is!

Kishwauketoe. The Lake of Sparkling Waters. Lake Geneva. By any name, this area along Wisconsin’s southern border with Illinois is home to a wide variety of watercraft from the most distinguished and consummate boat designers and builders on the past century. Grand and Glorious: Classic Boats of Lake Geneva is a spectacular journey to one of North America’s premier boating destinations. Often referred to as the “Newport of the West,” the Geneva Lakes region is the perfect backdrop for the antique boats and exceptional watercraft featured in this wonderful collection of photographs and stories.

Some of these boats are so rare that they have not previously been photographed and this marks their first appearance in print. One-of-a-kinds, rare surviving models, elegant runabouts, sleek speedboats, unique Lake Geneva steamboats and yachts, the region’s famous ice boats, even a privately owned submarine – all manner of watercraft can be seen racing, rumbling, roaring, floating or gliding past Lake Geneva’s graceful cottages and spectacular mansions, many of which have earned designation in America’s National Register of Historic Places.

In his quest to bring to life a century of waterborne tradition, author and ACBS member Larry Larkin has not only well employed the results of his painstaking research, but has also included insightful commentary by many of the watercrafts’ owners and builders.

As Larkin states: “My hope is that boat lovers everywhere will be inspired by the beauty of these classic designs, as well as by the commitment of the boats’ owners, and will join in the preservation of this special heritage.”

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he author’s earlier book, Full Speed Ahead: The Story of the Steamboat Era on Lake Geneva is regarded as the authoritative history of early twentieth-century boating on that lake. Grand and Glorious is also certain to be an important addition to available literature on classic boating in North America.

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