We first heard about _The Boy, Me and the Cat_ when asked if we had
read it. When we said we hadn’t, our interrogator shook his head with
pity, and then made the flat statement, “It is the greatest cruising
story ever written.” As you can imagine, our curiosity was piqued and
even more so as we began to dig into the matter.
We learned that the book was originally published by the author in a
paper covered, fish-line bound, mimeographed edition of 700 copies.
Where those 700 copies have all gone to no one seems to know. There are
a few in the hands of a small group who prize them rather highly. As
William Taylor, Managing Editor of _Yachting_ described it, “Borrowing
one is about as simple as borrowing a man’s favorite wife.” We don’t
know about that, inasmuch as we aren’t married and have yet to borrow a
wife, but we do know that we had a terrible time trying to get a copy.
It soon appeared that the easiest way to read the book was to publish
it, and so we set out. And that is the why of this second edition. Now
that we have read it, we agree, this is the greatest cruising story
ever written. We hope that you will think so, too.
In the meanwhile we would be neglecting all courtesy and obligation
if we did not tell you that the credit for this second edition really
belongs to David C. McIntosh, boat-builder, of Dover Point, New
Hampshire, who started us on the trail of the Mascot; William Taylor of
_Yachting_, who encouraged us with his enthusiasm; Oliver Prescott of
New Bedford, who generously lent us his prized copy of the original;
Waldo Howland of the Concordia Yacht Company, who counselled us; Maggie
McIntosh of Smith College, who gave up her vacation to lovingly copy
every dot and line of the drawings; Barbara Smith of Worcester, who has
read and reread every word; Norman Wood of Commonwealth Press, whose
constant advice and suggestions have done so much to design our book;
Henry M. Plummer, Jr., who wrote his recollections for us in a hospital
bed; and of course, the author, who once did it all by himself.
_The Publishers_