The Age of Sail: Master Shipbuilders of the Maritimes

by Formac Publishing Company Limited

The 19th century was the age of shipbuilding in the Maritime Provinces: all along the coast men were turning trees into ships that would sail on the world's oceans. Farmers and fishermen became master craftsmen building huge, deep-water vessels.
In this beautifully illustrated volume, marine historian Stanley Spicer recaptures the age of sail and its many colourful characters. From hundreds of shipbuilders, Spicer has selected the Troops of Saint John, the Killams of Yarmouth, Joseph Cunard in Bathurst, the Peake family of Prince Edward Island, John Young of Lunenburg and the Moshers in Avondale. Through these often larger-than-life figures we explore the triumphs and tragedies of the Maritimes' great age of shipbuilding and ship owning.
"The Age of Sail" draws on a range of rich visual resources including ship portraits, archival photographs, engravings, and artifacts displayed in the collections of leading Maritime museums, adding depth to a gripping historical account.

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 16, 2001

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, a quality soft cover, full of interesting information of days gone by. Stanley spends a good amount of time explaining the history of the Cunard Lines along with many other ship building locations of Nova Scotia. His grandfather, Master Mariner, Captain George Spicer circled the world transporting freight to Liverpool, Cape Town, Australia, and New York. The Spicer family is well known for ship building and navigating the Nova Scotia shore during this time although that is not the focus of this work. A lovely book for anyone interested in the subject of wind ships.