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shipyards by the author himself. Most of us will recall Essex, Massachusetts, as the principal source of the fast and able schooners that powered the fisheries of Gloucester during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Yet shipbuilding in Essex had been going on for well over two hundred years before reaching this "belle epoque" and its eventual cessation in 1949. In recounting this history, Story draws on his own extensive notes, as well as the ship lists compiled by Lewis Story (a distant cousin) and shipyard records of his father and half-brother, A.D. and Jacob Story. Although he quotes Howard I~ Chapelle extensively, he lets us know that Chapelle' s principal source was, in fact, Lewis Story. Through a narrative abundant with anecdotes, Story traces a lengthy procession of shipbuilders, with names such as Burnham and Story appearing again and again (the latter spanning nine generations). Their trade required intense labor and skill and offered few amenities. What passed for a shipyard was often a bare bones affair, little more than a piece of land along the creek where blocking could be set up. Men initially went into the woods to fell trees and "beat out" frames with broad ax and adz; even after the introduction of the steam-powered band saw in 1884, most of the work was done by hand. Along with the procession of builders came a steady evolution of vessel types, many of which remain uniquely associated with Essex. Most were fishing schooners, though we learn that Essex also built numerous cargo schooners, steamers and yachts. Mr. Story's narrative comes forth in an easy and unassuming sty le. This is not to say that he is without opinions; he attributes the great loss of vessels and men during the era of the clipper schooners (1860s-80s) to the lack of "sufficient initial stability" inherent in that model when a more likely contributing factor was their lack of secondary or ultimate stability. Readers should find this book a fascinating account of a significant chapter in maritime history told by a person of unique authority to tell it. DON BIRKHOLZ, JR.
New York, New York Shipbuilding on Prince Edward Island: Enterprise in a Maritime Setting, 1787-1920, by Nicolas J. de Jong and Marven E. Moore (Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull QUE, 1994,
411 pp, illus, appen, biblio, index, ISBN 0-660-14021-7; $34.95pb) This work is the result of extensive research by the authors on shipbuilding on Prince Edward Island and the economic forces that drove it from afar. An industry that originated in response to a local need for vessels soon became a thriving export market, with the product going principally to Great Britain and, to a lesser extent, Newfoundland. The financial success of the industry became inseparable from the demand for tonnage in these markets. The book first traces the island 's shipbuilding industry from the late 1700s to a peak of activity in the mid 1800s and its extended death rattle in the late 1800s and the early years of this century. Drawing primarily on shipping registers , the authors analyze the production and export of vessels by type and target market. The remainder of the book focuses on the 22communities thatengaged in shipbuilding. The text is supplemented with tables, graphs, maps and photographs. Although occasionally a bit dry, this book should stand as the definitive work on shipbuilding on the island and the economic and political environment in which it thrived and ultimately collapsed. DON BIRKHOLZ, JR.
New York, New York Tidecraft: The Boats of South Carolina, Georgia and Northeastern Florida, 1550-1950, 2nd edition, by William C. Fleetwood, Jr. (WBG Press, Tybee Island GA, 1995, 364pp, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 0-964-2519-0-6; $47.50hc) The maritime culture of the Southeast thrives with a dynamic nature that, like the shifting dunes along the beaches, has often left little trace of its history. William C. "Rusty" Fleetwood has gathered and organized enough of the historical traces to examine the maritime culture and watercraft of South Carolina, Georgia and northeastern Florida from 1550-1950. The new edition is a significantly improved version of the first, 1982 edition, with a subjective-chronological analysis based on combinations of important boat types, industries , and historical periods. With the addition of updated archival and archaeological research, it provides important insight into the watercraft used in the southeastern US. Fleetwood 's text is supplemented by appendices on mid-18th-century coastal sailing vessels, South Carolina SEA HISTORY 78, SUMMER 1996