I could kick myself. I gave away a 1958 Evinrude just before I read this book. Now I'm sure I could have fixed it myself - probably in short order. I've had little exposure to working on anything mechanical, but this book is very clear and simple.
Max takes you step by step through exactly what he would do if he bought an older used outboard to evaluate it and set it up to run forever. That was exactly what I always wished I could have in print.
One reviewer has complained that it doesn't cover pre-1955 motors well and that is correct. Max basically recommends against buying an earlier motor, so spends no time on them. The motors covered here are mid-50's through early/mid 70's.