An interesting survey of prehistoric seafaring. Fagan divides his book into sections based on geography which turns out to be especially helpful because these regions share ocean and wind characteristics, and so developed a common seafaring culture. He is able to color the discussion of those characteristics with his own extensive experience sailing different kinds of boats. I could tell that this book was a passion project of his.

It’s well-written and not very difficult to follow, through it might be a bit more academic than the casual reader would like. I would disagree with reviewers who say that the sailing terminology is difficult to understand. A quick overview of sailing terms is given early in the book and I found it sufficient as a non-sailor myself. It does get repetitive in some places, though that’s not completely the fault of the author. Most cultures seem to have started out with similar dugout canoes and put to sea for similar reasons.

Definitely recommended for anyone with interest in ancient seamanship and oceangoing cultures.