A Steady Trade: A Boyhood at Sea [Paperback]

Tristan Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 1982

A Steady Trade is the story of a childhood in Wales and a boyhood on the arduous "sail-in-trade" of northern Europe before World War II. It is a charming, nostalgic reminiscence of a lost world, of childhood in a Welsh countryside still in the 19th century, of a time when chantey-singing sailors fought the weather to deliver bricks, coal, even animals around the world, and of a young boy who wanted to experience it all.

Peopled with unforgettable characters from Tristan's sailor mentor "Goodness Gracious" Jenkins to the ageless "Tansy" Lee, captain of Second Apprentice, the book is filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of the sea, an unbelievably real evocation of a remarkable coming of age.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is about Tristan Jones childhood in Wales and boyhood in the arduous sail-in trade of northern Europe before World War II. It is a charming, nostalgic reminiscence of a lost world, of childhood in a Welsh countryside still in the 19th century, of a time when chantey-singing sailors fought the weather to deliver bricks, coal, even animals around the world, and of a young boy who wanted to experience it all. --Sailing Inland & Offshore, February 1999

From the Back Cover

"The boats he sailed have all come home now...there is no one who can write so well about them. --Books and Bookmen

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House; 1st pbk. ed edition (January 25, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574090186
• ISBN-13: 978-1574090185
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,787,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorite books, June 9, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Steady Trade: A Boyhood at Sea (Paperback)

I first read this book when I was probably 11 years old, and have read it I don't know how many times since then. Tristan Jones had the soul of a poet, as well as a natural ability to evoke the spirit of a bygone era seen through the eyes of a boy coming of age. Filled with colorful, sometimes heart-wrenching, often humourous anecdotes, this wonderful book has won a permanent place in my heart - very highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sailors will love this book, June 23, 2002

By 

Stephen Schwartz (Ithaca, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Steady Trade: A Boyhood at Sea (Paperback)

A Steady Trade is a wonderful autobiographical book about a teenage boy from Wales who works on sailing barges in the coastal trade in northern Europe in the 30s of the last century. I liked the book because it is well written, and has detailed information about life and work on the sailing barges and small ships that plyed the waters of the English Channel and the rivers of northern Europe.

It contains fine descriptions of life in a village in Wales in that bygone era, and many details about boating and shipping in Sussex and Kent, and London. This is one of the best books that I have read about sailing and is a "must read" for anyone interested in what it was actually like when sailboats were the workhorses of coastal shipping--actually the end of that era.

There is a certain amount of psuedo-philosophical BS in the book, Welsh boosterism, and idealization of working types in Jones story, but it is easy to skim these parts for those mainly interested in life and work in coastal Great Britain in the 30s.

I think this book would be appropriate for children and teenagers who are interested in sailing and working sailboats. There is some bad language, a bit of wry sexual content, and manly dialogue, but nothing frightening or too offensive. The extensive and detailed descriptions of the boats and how they were worked and sailed (without engines) might bore some kids. Mostly the book is charming and absorbing.

I would almost be willing to put this book next to Two Years Before the Mast on my shelf. It is that good.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welsh Boyo, November 1, 2000

By 

Robert C. Itzinger (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Steady Trade: A Boyhood at Sea (Paperback)

I worked in Barmouth, N. Wales in the early 80's. Mr. Jones accuratley describes the very friendly Welsh people. This book will make you laugh and cry at his adventures. It is a wonder that Mr Jones has kept his innocence in his later writings, after all he went through as a child.