Shanties from the Seven Seas
Last updated: 22.11.19
Paperback: 428 pages, usually ships within 2-3weeks.
Amazon Review
Stan Hugill was the last living shantyman in the United Kingdom, having sailed on
board ships where shantying was still alive and well. He gained his information and his
songs from primary sources, all of whom are no longer available. Every person who
works to keep the maritime traditions alive, particularly the sailors' work songs of the
18th and 19th centuries, owes Stan a huge debt for developing an interest in a dying
custom in time to preserve some of it. Stan was above all a meticulous scholar and
born educator; Shanties from the Seven Seas is the outcome of an incredible amount
of recollection substantiated by extensive research. Among professional shanty
singers we refer to this book as Stan's Bible, and if one is interested on an
enthusiast's level in maritime music, Shanties from the Seven Seas is a must-read.
Stan has written many other books and papers, but this is the one that without fail
will be found in a maritime historian's library.
Stan Hugill died in May 1992, but he has left us with a priceless legacy of knowledge