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Many of Britain's navigable waterways now carry more traffic than they did in the supposed heyday of canals, though the traffic today is pleasure boats rather than commercial craft. This book traces the history of these artificial waterways, from Roman days through to the decline of commercial traffic in the 1950s. It covers the building of canals, the structures that make them work, their maintenance and the boats that travelled on them.

Michael E. Ware became interested in canals in 1963. With a background of professional photography and working in a museum, it was almost natural that this enthusiasm should result in him collecting historic canal photographs, building up one of the largest private collections in Britain, which has now been passed on to the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port.