The Age of Sail: Master Shipbuilders of the Maritimes

Gordon Turner is the author of Empress of Britain: Canadian Pacific’s
Greatest Ship and the editor of SeaFare, a quarterly newsletter on sea
travel.

Stanley T. Spicer has an unrivaled reputation as an authority on the
sailing ships of the Maritimes. This book, his 12th, concentrates on the
shipbuilders rather than the vessels and their crews. In eight chapters
he gives brief accounts of the leading 19th-century shipbuilding
families, including Joseph Cunard and his more famous brother Samuel,
the Peakes of Prince Edward Island, the Killams of Yarmouth, and the
Troops of Saint John. He also covers the area’s shipbuilding
practices, working conditions, and economic upswings and declines. He
informs us that Maritime-built ships earned an excellent reputation at
home and abroad for their sturdiness and their sailing qualities.

The Age of Sail’s text, however, takes second place to illustrations,
which occupy about two-thirds of the book. High-quality reproductions of
black-and-white photographs from the latter half of the 19th century
depict ships under construction and completed. There are also photos of
the principal family members and the ornate homes they owned. Paintings
of ships are reproduced to varying standards. Color photos of more
recent vintage illustrate replica ships built in the last 50 years.
Although the book’s proofreading could have been better, the author
and publisher have produced an attractive volume that will add to the
store of knowledge about an industry whose history is not well enough
known beyond the boundaries of the Maritime provinces.