The Last American Whale-Oil Company Ed Parr Hardcover $28.95, Paperback $15.95 Order the hardcover Order the paperback		We all know that New Bedford is synonymous with whaling, and that the decline of that short-lived industry meant economic hardship and transformation for the once-affluent city. In its heyday, the whaling industry brought wealth into New Bedford the likes of which the city has not seen since. And there were many benefactor's of the city's whaling bounty, not the least of which was a company called Nye Lubricants. This forward-thinking, innovative oil concern, lead by some of the most eccentric and savvy individuals in American business was, and remained, a central player in the region's economy throughout the Whaling Days and well beyond. This unique company is the subject of Ed Parr's engaging historical account. In many ways, Nye Lubricant's path paralleled that of the nation's economy, keeping pace with the nation's economy as the supremacy of the whaling industry gave way to the dominance of the industrial revolution, and then to the takeover of technology. Unlike New Bedford itself, Nye was able to adjust brilliantly to these shifts in economic discourse, making it a fascinating subject of study for anyone interested in the ways in which sweeping economic transformations play out in the real world of real companies.

Captain Slocum's Life: Before and After the Spray Myra A. Lopes Paperback $9.95		By now, most of us in the area are familiar with the name, Joshua Slocum. And for all of us who have heard it, the name will forever be attached to the boat in which he accomplished his amazing feat: a solo trans-global journey. With the centennial anniversary of the Captain's return to Fairhaven upon us, interest in this legendary local figure has been sparked anew. In her concise, yet comprehensive and fascinating little biography, local author, Myra Lopes fills in gaps in our knowledge about Slocum's life before and after his historic journey, fortifying the information with a number of interesting photos. A nice, easy addition to anyone's collection of Slocum-nalia.

Always Astonished Fernando Pessoa Paperback $12.95 Order now		Many place Fernando Pessoa in that class of Modernist writers whose ranks include Ezra Pound, James Joyce, & T.S. Eliot, implying that his relative obscurity and his absence from English course syllabi has nothing to do with his stature as a writer and literary innovator. What it does have to do with, one must assume, is his country of origin: Portugal. Pessoa is the premiere Portuguese modernist, and one of the most important minds ever to emerge from that country. He is perhaps best known for his poetry, which he began writing in English at the beginning of this century, but his prose reveals just as much about his intellectual orientation. Always Astonished is a collection selected prose pieces by Pessoa and his "heteronyms," the alternate selves (Alberto Caeiro, Ricardo, Reis, & Alvaro de Campos) responsible for much of his poetry. According to the volume's editor, Edwin Honig, reading essays by and about these heteronyms is crucial to understanding his poetry. These essays, letters, manifestoes, & journal notes cover a range of topics - aesthetics, poetry, drama, and the psychology of the artist - affording the reader a glimpse into the complex and mysterious world of Pessoa and his many selves. An important volume by a crucial modernist figure -- well worth the effort.

Voyage of the Liberdade Joshua Slocum Paperback $4.95 Order now		Speaking of the Captain, one of the little known episodes of his life before the Spray, is yet another remarkable sea journey taken on a ship he crafted with his own hands and named the Liberdade. The voyage began when Slocum was hauling freight along the east coast of South America in 1886-87. His ship, the Aquidneck, ran aground, stranding his wife, two sons, and crew of ten. Only slightly daunted, Slocum built another ship, a 35-foot vessel which he described as "half Cape Ann Dory and half Japanese Sampan." And the trials didn't end there; once underway, the ship faced all manner of natural impediments: currents, hurricane-force winds, surging seas, and hungry sharks, all of which Slocum chronicles in this vividly rendered account of extraordinary courage and ingenuity in the face of seemingly unbeatable foes. A must-read for Slocum fans and anyone with a penchant for real-life nautical adventure stories.

Whales, Ice, & Men John R. Bockstoce Paperback $29.95 Order now		From respected enthnologist and New Bedford resident, John Bockstoce, comes a painstakingly researched and highly readable account of the inner workings of the contemporary arctic whaling fishery. Bockstoce reaches beyond polemics and politics to provide the reader with an objective, detailed exploration of the business of whaling, covering equipment, working conditions, economics, shipwrecks, governmental faux pas, and family life. Bockstoce spent ten years performing the monumental task of hunting the meat of this book, as he simultaneously hunted bowhead whales with Alaskan natives, and explored archaeological whaling sites along the icebound shores of the western Arctic. The result is a book which Pacific Historical Review has called "a classic in the large literature of whaling history."

Clambake: A History & Celebration of an American Tradition Kathy Neustadt Paperback $17.95 Order now		A self-proclaimed "acolyte to academe," Kathy Neustadt came to the Allen's Neck clambake 14 years ago in a graduate school-induced fog, invited their by vacationing relatives, expecting little more than your basic church or community fund raising dinner. What she discovered was, in her words, "something much more powerful. . .something that I wanted, even needed, to know more about." The result, after eight years of interviews, research, and clambakes, is this comprehensive and fascinating ethnographic study of one of our region's most revered traditions. Neustadt comes at her subject with a folklorist's penchant for finding "meaning" in the rituals and traditions of common folk, but far from forcing established academic theories on the particular instance of the Allen's Neck clambake, she comes up with her own "quasi-theoretical perspective" and interpretation of the event. And far from drowning the reader in cultural studies theory and jargon, she makes the writing accessible to those well outside academe. An engaging, thoroughgoing, enlightening book.

Fall River Outrage David Richard Kasserman Paperback $19.95 Order now		An engaging an illuminating retelling of one of the most sensational and widely reported murder cases in New England, Fall River Outrage recounts the case of Sarah Cornell, a single, pregnant mill worker found hanged in 1832. The prime suspect in the murder was Ephraim Kingsbury Avery, prominent Methodist minister. Using all the tools and influence at their disposal, wealthy Fall River industrialists and the New England Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church worked diligently to acquit Avery of all charges. They did so by engaging in one of the earliest smear campaigns in American legal history, calling into question Cornell's reputation and character, while building up the minister as beyond moral reproach. Fall River Outrage uses the characters and circumstances of this real-life murder mystery and morality play to illustrate the life and culture of early industrial New England, producing a volume that provides insight into American social, legal, and labor history.

The Life & Times of John Manjiro Donald R. Bernard Hardcover $25.62 Order now		Bernard's engaging biography tells the remarkable story of Manjiro, an uneducated Japanese fisherboy in the mid-nineteenth century, seemingly doomed to an unremarkable life in a remote Japanese fishing village. What is remarkable about the story are the numerous twists and turns of fate that conspired to make Manjiro one of Fairhaven's favorite adopted sons, forever cementing the relationship between two tiny coastal towns on opposite sides of the globe. As luck would have it, a shipwreck found Manjiro in the company of William H. Whitfield, a whaling captain from New Bedford, who rescued him and his four companions, taking them to Hawaii. Whitfield was so impressed by the boy, he took Manjiro back to Farihaven to live with the family and receive a formal American education. And the rest, as they say, is history. Manjiro, known as John Manjiro here and as Manjiro Nakahama in Japan, went on to become a prominent educator, navigator, translator, and international diplomatic interpreter. With his place in local lore forever secured, the life of this remarkable cultural traveler makes for fascinating reading for anyone interested in the history our remarkable region.

After King Philip's War: Presence & Persistence in Indian New England Colin G. Calloway, ed. Paperback $19.95 Order now		A timely and comprehensive collection of essays in the emerging field of scholarship on post-1676 New England native peoples, After King Phillips War challenges the long-held belief that the defeat of Metacomet (King Philip) meant the end of Indian society in New England. The essays in this collection demonstrate that Indians have indeed adapted and survived, retaining their identity and heritage at the fringes of Yankee New England. And it shows that despite the racist policies and often inhuman treatment, New England natives have managed to retain their cultural identities through tradition, kinship, and community.

A Concise History of Portugal David Birmingham Paperback $16.95 Order now		The first single-volume account of Portugal's history since the days of dictatorship and colonization, this compact, accessible book offers a healthy introduction to the people and culture of the country, its three empires in Asia, America, and Africa, and its quest for modernization, political stability, and international partnership. It is sure to become required reading for anyone interested in the development of Portugal's social, political, and economic structure.

Spinner: People & Culture in Southeastern MA. Vol. V Hardcover $39.95 Paperback $19.95 Order the hardcover Order the paperback		The latest in Spinner's engaging series of local cultural histories contains articles on Westport Rum Runners, St. Mary's Home, Trolleys, and Bloomerism.

Not Just Anywhere Marsha McCabe & Joseph D. Thomas Hardcover $37.95 Paperback $16.95 Order the hardcover Order the paperback		A fascinating & informative chronicle of the struggle between historical preservation and urban renewal in New Bedford, with a special focus on WHALE, the organization that championed the cause of preservation.

Between Race & Ethnicity Marilyn Halter Hardcover $32.50 Paperback $14.95 Order the hardcover Order the softcover		The story of Cape Verdean immigration on Cape Cod and in New Bedford carries with it a complex web of issues surrounding racial and ethnic identity. Halter ignores none of this complexity in this carefully researched, highly readable book, which combines oral history and analyses of ship's records to produce a thorough and engaging study of Cape Verdeans in Southeastern Massachusetts.