Karl Zimmermann hops aboard lakers, ferries, and paddle-wheelers for a look at steamboats past and present. First, he brings readers along with him on a wild ride across a stormy Lake Michigan. Then he traces the development of steamboats from the birth of the Age of Steam in England and America's first steamboat, which crossed the Delaware River in 1787. Filled with fascinating facts and stunning photographs of steamboats from North America to Europe, this book will open a window on a world of wheelhouses, engine rooms, propellers, and paddle wheels that springs to life when the captain rings down "Full ahead!"