Guilty Pleasures/Books

Cover, Sennen crabbers picking up moorings in 'Pol-an-da' , the anchorage of Sennen Cove, from a painting by Allan J Hook 91853-c 1895) (Courtesy the Royal
Exchange Art Gallery).

Frontspiece: Scottish fishing craft off
Great Yarmouth (NMM, neg no P75443)

The Maldon smack Joseph T MN9

Sheringham crabbers

The lines, construction drawings and sail plan of the Sheringham crab boat Star of Peace.



all material courtesy Seaforth Publishing

I must confess to a penchant for buying many books, especially on the history of working craft and small boats. Sometimes they are bargains, sometimes they exceed my budget. One of my favorites in the last year was Twice Around the Loggerhead, a beautifully produced volume on the whaleboats of the Azores, with Lance Lee and Yvon LeCorre, among others (available in my bokstore). This new (to me) book, Inshore Craft, just arrived from Canada, and it's a treat. Not unlike Edgar March's two volume set on the same subject, but with a more recent feel, more photos and line drawings. Very coherent headings and subheadings break it down into easily understood categories. Instructive and a delight, the book is the work of a real collective of British scholars. I only recently became aware of it and I have the impression that it's a bit obscure, though I think WoodenBoat did offer it. Still in print, I think. It's also large format, hence my inability to capture it all with my scanner. I'd love to hear from readers who also make purchases of interesting books beyond their budget.