Deep Sea Chanties: Old Sea Songs

Deep Sea Chanties offers a unique lens upon seafaring life punctuated with fabulous woodcut illustrations by Edward A. Wilson. From the editor, Frank Shay: In bringing these songs together I have sought to catch for the moment the spirit of the men of the clipper-ship era. That glorious period, marked roughly by the Mexican War and the California gold rush, is finding perpetuation in the enthusiasms of those who love the sea and ships. Ship models, romances and tales of the sea, log books and nautical instruments so eagerly sought after by these enthusiasts are, after all, but outward symbols of the men who trod the decks and warped and reefed the sails. Those deeds were not accomplished with out song and the songs they sang were from their own souls: not written for them by poets and ballad-mongers. In reading them we are made privy not only to the singer but to the audience: their thoughts, their lives, and their environment. This new edition is dedicated to India D'Avignon, lifelong champion of the importance of music in our daily lives.