Shanties from the Seven Seas
Cover of the first edition
This book contains not only more than 400 sea shanties - chanteys to Americans -but as much of their history as Stan Hugill could collect in his extraordinary career as sailor, scholar, author, artist and inspiration to new generations of sea-music enthusiasts and performers.
It was originally published in England in 1961. It went through several printings, with corrections and abridgements along the way, before being picked up by a new publisher in the late 1980s and seeing its first U.S. release. Now, the Mystic Seaport Museum has re-issued the book and, given the Connecticut museum's interest in preserving nautical history and lore, will hopefully keep it in print.
The 42-page introduction, titled "The Art of the Shantyman," is worth the cover price alone for anyone interested in the history, development and practical applications of shanties, as well as the various historical efforts to trace their roots. Afterwards, the book is packed with lyrics, including variations, and exhaustive details of the songs' distinct uses at sea. The notes are printed for anyone who wants to play or sing the tunes, and Hugill also provided illustrations showing seamen singing at their work.
Probably the most complete and scholarly study of sea shanties commercially available
First published in 1961
Reprinted 1966 (with corrections), 1979 and 1984
Second (abridged) edition 1984
Reprinted 1987
by Routledge &
Kegan Paul Ltd
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4 4EE
First published in the United States by
Routledge & Kegan Paul, Inc.
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
New U.S. edition published by
Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc
75 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT 06355
ISBN 0-913372-70-6
.
The latest edition, published
by Mystic Seaport
A typical page from
this book
Stowing logs Through the Bow-Port. A illustration from the book
