Forthright and Steadfast

Having recorded in pen and ink the Fishing Boats of Scotland which she loves, Gloria Wilson here focusses her attention on the Peterhead yard of Richard Irvin & Sons, and the wooden, cruiser sterned fishing boats for which it became renowned in the second half of the twentieth century. Almost one hundred of her own photographs accompany her account of the boats and the people who made up a distinctive and now disappearing maritime culture. As the naval architect and boatbuilder Paul Gartside writes in his Foreword: Gloria Wilson truly belongs in the tradition of the folklorists - individuals moved initially by the discovery of beauty in the commonplace who are then compelled to understand and record what they find... One hopes her example will spur others to similar effort, for the capturing of culture and local knowledge before it slips away is always a noble pursuit. AUTHOR: Gloria Wilson was born in Surrey but spent her childhood in the Yorkshire fishing village of Staithes. She studied at Durham University -under Victor Pasmore and Kenneth Rowntree and gained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. This is her tenth book on fishing craft of the British Isles, and she has written extensively for maritime journals -including "Classic Boat", "Fishing News", and "Maritime Life and Traditions". Gloria lived in Scotland for some years, but now lives and works in the north-east of England.