Bootleggers, Lobstermen & Lumberjacks: Fifty of the Grittiest Moments in the History of Hardscrabble New England - Paperback

by Matthew P. Mayo (Author)

The story of New England is built on an endless armature of fascinating tales of Yankee ingenuity and hardy, intrepid characters. Bootleggers, Lobstermen, and Lumberjacks takes the top fifty wildest episodes in the region's bygone days and presents them to the reader in one convenient, narrative-driven package. Including incredible but true tales of hardy Yankee hill folk and crusty seafarers engaged in all manner of amazing activity--from witch-hunting to log rolling, sometimes with tragic results--this book is a perfect stroll through New England's past for resident and visitor alike. Yankee history is rife with all manner of shipwreck victims surviving any way they know how; Indian, pirate, and shark attacks, cougar and bear attacks, and, of course, rum runners and bootleggers doing what they do best.

Back Jacket

The story of New England is built on an endless armature of fascinating tales of Yankee ingenuity and intrepid characters, and this book brings together the top fifty wildest among them--shipwreck victims surviving any way they could; Indian, pirate, and shark attacks; cougar and bear attacks; and, of course, rum runners and bootleggers doing what they do best. Read these stories and many more: Boon Island's Curse: A winter wreck in 1710 strands fourteen sailors on this barren rock off the coast of York, Maine. Ten survive--through cannibalism. Massachusetts Bay Man-Eater: Angler Joseph Blaney, in 1830, attracts the attention of two great white sharks in the middle of Massachusetts Bay. The Last Vampire: In 1892, to ward off evil spirits, a Rhode Island girl's corpse is exhumed, her organs are burned, and family members inhale the smoke.

Author Biography

Matthew P. Mayo is the author of several fiction and nonfiction books, including Cowboys, Mountain Men, and Grizzly Bears (TwoDot, January 2010) and the Western novels Winters' War, Wrong Town, and Hot Lead, Cold Heart. Raised in Rhode Island and Vermont, he has spent much of his adult life in Maine, writing about the state for Down East and other publications. Visit him at matthewmayo.com.