The port of Gloucester has been a focus for writers from Captains Courageou to The Perfect Storm. From its first settlement to its present struggles, the town has seen its share of expansion and retraction, loss and tragedy. The author's grandfather, Steve Olsson was lost at sea in 1935, in a dory, trawling for halibut. So who could be more personally engaged in recording its history more fully or sympathetically than John Morris? His account, with more than seventy vintage photographs and maps, an extensive glossary of fishing terms, and a detailed chronology of the Gloucester fleet, including all the fishermen and vessels lost at sea since 1693, is surely the most comprehensive record yet attempted to bring the town and its inhabitants to life.