C. Stansfeld Hicks

C. Stansfeld Hicks, identified in surviving records as Charles Stansfield Hicks, was a British-Irish writer whose best-known book is Yachts, Boats and Canoes. First published in 1887, the book covered an unusually wide range of subjects, including model yachts, single-handed sailing, canoe design, and small-boat construction, which suggests a strongly practical, hobby-friendly approach to nautical writing.

Little biographical detail is easy to confirm, but available reference records describe him as a writer and give his death date as September 15, 1931. Even with the gaps, his surviving work points to an author interested in making boating knowledge accessible, especially for readers who wanted plans, techniques, and clear guidance rather than just travelogue or theory.

Today, Hicks is remembered less as a literary celebrity than as a useful and enthusiastic guide for readers interested in classic small-craft culture. For anyone curious about late 19th-century recreational boating, his book still offers a window into how people learned to build, sail, and enjoy boats in that era.