Eight Bells and Top Masts by Christopher Lee
The late 1950s saw the end of the trade in which old converted coal-burning ships would tramp from port to port, picking up cargo where they could. The author, who worked on these ships as a boy, faithfully recorded all he saw and heard and his diaries form the basis of this account.
I loved it.. it's beautifully written. It must be autobiographical because he knows sailing and the sea inside out and like you say it's a sort of lament for a lost era - Jeremy ClarkeHe includes diary entries from the time, but they are wnderful. This sixteen-year-old biy has gone off with a song in his heart and the badge on his cap polished and he's terrifically naive... - Louise Doughly... magically evokes what life was like aboard a tramp steamer... has the delightful freshness and naivete of his boyish discovery of the world and its seamen and the discovery of vanishing British way of life - Daily MailKey Reviews 'The book does come out as being a truthful one and I love books about ships and the sea, I'm a great fan of Patrick O'Brien and I used to read Conrad as a child. I loved it [Eight Bells and Top Masts] all. I loved all the descriptions' - Sir George Martin,Viewing the times with wisdom and hindsight... particularly good on the rigid hierarchy of the seas' - Daily TelegraphA funny, vivid, unsentimental, effortlessly informative book, highly recommended to seafarers both actual and imaginary - Times Literary Supplement
Christopher Lee was born on the banks of the Thames and learned the trade of a sailor aboard a Thames sailing barge. A historian by training, he sailed the world on tramp ships before embarking on a career as writer.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780747274926 |
| ISBN 10 | 0747274924 |
| Title | Eight Bells and Top Masts |
| Author | Christopher Lee |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Headline Publishing Group |
| Year published | 2001-06-14 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |