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"The Wreck of the Isidore"
...A Glimpse into the Hidden History of Maine
by HARVEY REID
Order one
now Beautiful full-color stitched hardback book with 13-song CD!
Also available as an e-book on Amazon and other e-book sites.
(DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME)
"The Wreck of the
Isidore" is
a beautiful and compelling new 102-page color hardback book from Harvey Reid. Though known primarily as a guitarist
and songwriter, Reid is a brilliant writer, and this book picks up where his epic 2001 song "The Wreck of
the Isidore" left off. Fans of Reid's music will enjoy the perspective and writing of this book, and fans of local history who encounter
the book will no doubt discover Reid's considerable musical talents. A 13-song CD comes with the book, and includes 4
songs written about the shipwreck plus 9 other instrumental tracks from his catalog, including an un-released 6-string
version of the Star Island Jig.
- Anyone who has lived or visited Maine will be intrigued with
this lovely and interesting book, and as
you gaze out at the rocky Maine seashore, it is hard not to imagine what it would be like to be on board a doomed sailing
ship in a fierce gale. And it is hard not to hear Reid’s words ringing–
“And we sing once more of the Isidore
Of the cold New England sea
Where the hand of fate and a sailor’s life
Forever ‘twined shall be.” |
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On November 30, 1842 in a blinding snowstorm,
a spectacular shipwreck occurred at Bald Head Cliffs in Cape Neddick, Maine. It was to be the worst maritime disaster
in Maine’s
long seafaring history, and all 16 local men on board perished in the frigid waters. Due to the eerie circumstances
of the wreck, the powerful story of the crew’s premonitions of disaster, and lingering reports to this day
by local fishermen of a ghost ship, it was said to be the most widely told tale in Maine a century ago.
The crew, ranging in age from the 15 year-old cabin boy to the 53-year old cook, all hailed from the Kennebunk,
Maine area, 12 miles up the coast. The newly-built 3-masted barque was on her maiden voyage, headed for New
Orleans and then for France. It was the worst storm that anyone alive could recall, and the unlucky ship
foundered in the dark night and was smashed to pieces on the cruelest stretch of rock on Maine’s South coast.
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This gripping story, long forgotten, makes a perfect backdrop
for understanding a vital period in Maine history, and for visually a whole way of life that has vanished. Sleepy,
out-of-the-way Maine was once at the forefront of global commerce, and a surprising amount happened there over the
400 years since it was first settled. Reid takes you through the cast and the setting of this shipwreck, and looks
at the forces that led young teenagers from small towns in Maine to crew on board the fleet of tall ships that carried
all manner of cargo all over the globe. A portrait emerges of life in a world that was unimaginably different from
today's Vacationland, and the image of this wreck will linger in your mind. |
This book comes with a 13-song CD that includes the "Sailor's
Fate Trilogy" from Reid's 2001 collaboration with Joyce Andersen
(The Great Sad River), plus an unreleased song about the shipwreck (Unlucky Sailors) and 9 other nautically-themed instrumentals
collected from his back catalog.
Retail $19.95 + shipping in US or by mail, phone, fax, e-mail ( )
. To buy one from us .
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