I went through this at one rule of thumb per day till I finished it. If memory serves, I went through it this way twice. Terrific. I would say, if you have a boat, might get a boat, or are just thinking about it, get this book. It's one of the necessary books, along with nautical rules of the road, and boat maintenance. Have you ever wondered how much paint to buy to paint your topsides? This book has that and so much more.
This is a great book to read while tied up, full of reference information and nautical tidbits. This is not the kind of book to check in an emergency. It's laid out alphabetically by subject.
This book contains plenty of good advice. Unfortunately it contains even more bad advice, anachronisms, and superstitious nonsense. For experienced sailors it's a waste of time. For inexperienced sailors, it's borderline dangerous.