Coastal Maine: A Maritime History [Paperback]

Roger F. Duncan (Author), Earle G. Barlow (Illustrator), Kathy Bray (Illustrator), Consuelo E. Hanks (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 2002

A fascinating and comprehensive chronicle of four hundred years of maritime history along the Maine coast.

Roger Duncan recounts four hundred years of Maine's rich maritime history, from the early seafarers' discovery of its valuable resources and the families that settled the land, to Maine's role in the history of the US in peacetime and in war. He traces the changes in Maine's economy over the past century: the demise of the coastal trade; the burgeoning popularity of pleasure boating after World War II; the hardships that beset the fishing and lumber industries; and the rise of tourism. This anecdotal panorama of people, land, boats, and water will absorb historians, nautical enthusiasts, and New Englanders alike. 105 black-and-white photographs and illustrations, 18 maps

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The first documented European visitor to the Maine coast was Giovanni Verrazano in 1524; subsequent explorers--Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Samuel de Champlain and John Smith--were then followed by fishermen and fishing settlements in succeeding centuries. By the 17th century, Maine was a hotbed of conflict among Indians, French and English. Duncan, coauthor of A Cruising Guide to the New England Coast, offers a sprightly history of maritime Maine through four centuries. Describing such vessels as pinnaces, shallops, clippers and schooners, he writes about privateers and pirates, shipbuilding and trade, fishermen and yachtsmen. He reports on the modern-day decline of the fishing industry and efforts at regulation and renewal, on fish farming and research on coastal ecology, concluding with the depiction of a summer day at the shore. Saltwater sailors and boat buffs, in addition to locals, will enjoy this history. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This highly detailed survey of more than 400 years of coastal Maine's history offers fascinating information about the sea, the people, and the land. Drawing primarily on secondary sources, the author brings to the book an intimate knowledge of the Maine coast and sailing experience that provide readers with a sense of involvement not normally found in survey histories. Chapter notes provide a virtual treasure trove of detail about the characters, places, and events in Maine's maritime past that enliven and explain information in each chapter. This helps make technical material such as that on 17th-century ships and their navigation easier to understand. Duncan has produced a detailed, lively history of Maine and the sea that is a required purchase for any library laying claim to a serious collection in American maritime history.
- Harold N. Boyer, Marple P.L., Broomall, Pa.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 572 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press; 1 edition (June 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881505552
• ISBN-13: 978-0881505559
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome Book of Maines Past and Present, September 7, 2000

By 

Greg Grundtisch (Lancaster, NY. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coastal Maine: A Maritime History (Hardcover)

This is the most palatable book of history you will find. It's not just a text book with names,dates, and places. That is there, but,the author uses his skills of storytelling, scholorship, creativity,as well as his vast knowledge of the area, and extensive experience sailing along the New England Coast, to painlessly educate,inform, and actually make you feel as if you were right there as Maines maratime history unfolds. You will be taken from Mains earliest "discovery", to present day Maine. You will experience early European sailors and settelers, coastal natives, there interactions. Modern day commercial shipbuilding, past and present fisheries problems, small yacht builders using various building methods,tourism,etc. It's all covered, and done at a pace that keeps you completly interested and wanting to keep turning pages. You will find your self having a most enjoyable time with this book.