In the Great Days of Sail

Archibald MacMechan revelled in the tales of worldwide adventure, pirates, storms, fires, rescues, and tragedies. MacMechan's collections, all popular successes in their day, have been out of print for several years. Now In the Great Days of Sail brings fourteen stories together for a new generation of readers. Edited and with an introduction by Halifax author Elizabeth Peirce, the book displays the very best of this master chronicler's work.

MacMechan's stories reflect the pride Nova Scotians took in locally built ships, and the legendary tenacity of the captains and crew who sailed them. Among others, we encounter George Churchill, who had to rebuild his rudder eight times during a voyage from Quebec to Scotland, Captain Samuel Bancroft Davis of Yarmouth, who dreamed the precise latitude and longitude of a distressed ship before steering off his coarse to rescue it, and a routine trip from LaHave to Halifax that made an unplanned detour all the way to London, England.

Archibald MacMechan (1882-1933) was a writer, literary scholar, and professsor at Dalhousie University. MachMechan collected stories from captains, crew members, shipbuilders, and their families, which he published in three collections: Old Province Tales, Sagas of the Sea, and There Go the Ships. In 1932 he was awarded the Lorne Pierce medal by the Royal Society of Canada for his distinguished service to Canadian literature.

Depending on the season, Elizabeth Peirce is a writer, gardener, and English professor. She has worked in vegetable gardens since she was old enough to hold a watering can and is passionate about local food and food security issues. She is the author of several books, including Grow Organic: A Simple Guide to Nova Scotia Vegetable Gardening, and is the editor of In the Great Days of Sail. She lives in Halifax.