This early work by Hans Szymanski from 1929 was the first attempt to document the development of small cargo sailing ships from the German coastal areas, dating back to the late 18th century, in a regional context. Numerous construction drawings, contemporary illustrations, models, photographs, building descriptions, ship lists, and literature are used as resources. Overall, this is a meticulously researched and, due to the sources available at the time, now unique historical source. The author particularly explores, through examples, how the respective regions influenced the design of the ships based there.