Atlantic Sea Stories

Edward L. Edmonds is a professor of education at the University of
Prince Edward Island.

This well-produced anthology of tales—ballads in prose—about sailing
ships in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, and the men who went to
sea in them, represents a regional cultural tradition in danger today of
being forgotten or obscured. Examples abound throughout of the raw
physical and mental courage displayed by men caught in “the fell
clutch of circumstance”; of the comradeship that shared danger evokes;
of men who diced with death and often lost.

For stark tragedy, “Regina” and “First Mate” are outstanding;
so is the agony of “The Wreck of the Cod Seeker” and the nail-biting
suspense of “Tis Dogged As Does It.” “Blue Nose Bucko” and “A
Complete Rest” are miniature studies of character development while at
sea. Common to all these tales are the elemental forces of nature. The
sea itself becomes a living creature at times: treacherous, menacing,
unpredictable, “when all the hungry forces of the North are loosed for
ravage.” There are philosophic overtones too: men go back to sea again
and again, “for old age holds nothing ... save a seat in a corner and
voices drifting in.”

A glossary of sailing terminology would be a useful addition to future
editions of this book, which is strongly recommended for inclusion in
all Canadian libraries.