Out of the Sea: A History of Ramea

R.G. Moyles is a professor of English at the University of Alberta.

Ramea, Newfoundland. Geographically it is insignificant: a collection of
small islands and rocks measuring only six square miles and situated off
the south coast of Newfoundland. Topographically it is unremarkable:
“flat, boggy land interspersed with low hills and gulches.” Why,
then, should such a seemingly unimportant place deserve a full-length
history? The answers, as these two cousins make clear, are these:
because people settled, made a home, toiled, laughed, and loved there.
Because it is a microcosm of so many small fishing communities whose
histories together make up what Newfoundland—indeed, the
world—really is. And because Ramea, when the fishery is no longer
viable, may disappear as a community forever.

And this is local history as it should be written. There are historical
facts to document the town’s beginnings, social commentary to account
for its existence, and minute descriptions of its day-to-day and
year-to-year routines—how its people worked, dressed, worshipped and
entertained. Indeed, as an introduction to the intricacies of the
fishing industry—the precarious balance between fishers and the sea,
and the more precarious one between fishers and merchants—this book is
recommended. It is thorough, well-written, and as enjoyable for the
“foreigner” (anyone who does not live in the community) as it will
be for those who want to see their names in print and the many pictures
of their ancestors. This book is a model for all such local histories.