by Joshua Slocum
294 pp., softcover

Generally acknowledged to be one of the masterpieces of sea literature, this book is more than a cruising story - rather, it is an evocation of exemplary seamanship in an era when frontiers were still there to be conquered. Slocum, a retired merchant sailor, was given a decrepit 37' oyster sloop, which he rebuilt on a shoestring in a pasture and then took to sea at the turn of the century to seek adventure. He was an extraordinary seaman and a vital personality, and following the completion of his voyage, proved to be a masterful writer as well.

Table of Contents includes:

 

Shanties telling of John's Shore Activities

Runaway Choruses

The Hilo Group

The Haul Family

Pot-pourri of British, Americian, French,German, and other Foreign Shanties