author

James H. Sterrett

A pioneering swimming teacher from the early 20th century, he wrote a practical guide meant to help beginners and experienced swimmers alike. His work reflects a time when swimming was being promoted not just as sport, but as an essential life skill.

1 Audiobook

How to swim : A practical manual of swimming by a practical swimmer and a guide to the novice as well as the expert showing the easiest methods of learning to swim, dive and float, various kinds of strokes, with directions and illustrations for acquiring the crawl and trudge-crawl strokes. Also a chapter on modern life-saving, and one for women and girl swimmers.

How to swim : A practical manual of swimming by a practical swimmer and a guide to the novice as well as the expert showing the easiest methods of learning to swim, dive and float, various kinds of strokes, with directions and illustrations for acquiring the crawl and trudge-crawl strokes. Also a chapter on modern life-saving, and one for women and girl swimmers.

by James H. Sterrett

About the author

James H. Sterrett was an American swimming instructor and author best known for How to Swim, a practical manual published in the Spalding athletic series. The book was written for both novices and more experienced swimmers, with instruction on strokes, diving, floating, and life-saving.

Available historical descriptions portray him as an important early advocate for organized swimming in the United States. He has been described as a secretary of the National Swimming Association of Philadelphia, and later reprints of his book present him as an authority on swimming and a successful amateur coach.

Reliable biographical detail on his personal life appears limited in the sources available here, so the clearest picture comes through his work: a teacher focused on making swimming understandable, useful, and widely taught.