Lecture and Book Signing with JOHN N. MORRIS, author of Alone at Sea: Gloucester in the Age of the Dorymen, 1623-1939

Two fishermen huddle in a 13-foot dory, with miles of open ocean around them. Buffeted by spray and wind, they drop baited fishing lines into the choppy water, hoping to catch enough cod, haddock or halibut to support their wives and children far away on land. At any moment a freak wave or sudden storm could sweep them away. Yet they love their work, hard though it is, with a passion as deep as the ocean itself.

Such was the life of the Gloucester, Massachusetts, dorymen, a life beautifully and meticulously researched by John N. Morris, the grandson of a doryman lost at sea six years before he was born. His new book, Alone at Sea: Gloucester in the Age of the Dorymen (1623–1939), is the culmination of 10 years of intensive research, sparked by a personal quest to learn more about his grandfather. Beautifully written and illustrated, Alone at Sea is the most complete and compelling history of Gloucester fishing ever written.

Using diaries, business records and interviews with surviving dorymen, Morris paints an indelible portrait of a key New England industry from its emergence in the 17th century to its decline in the 20th century. With a glossary of fishing terms and meticulous records of vessels and men lost at sea since 1693, Morris' book is a valuable resource for maritime buffs and historians, families of fishermen and anyone interested in a good yarn about life on the sea.

Alone at Sea: Gloucester in the Age of the Dorymen (1923- 1939) is available at the Spirit of '76 Bookstore and online at http://www.hugobookstores.com