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NOALL**, CYRIL: : CORNISH SEINES AND SEINERS: A History of the Pilchard Fishing Industry

UK.TRURO,CORNWALL.D.BRADFORD BARTON LTD.,1972.

ISBN No ISBN.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/NFINE.No owner inscrptn,but price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp, clean,glossy laminated,b/w illus+photographic illustrated dw/dj to a b/w+silver background; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners and a tiny closed tear/nick to rear, top edge towards head of spine/backstrip.No other nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight and clean also - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - possibly unread? Bright, clean,sharp-cornered bright lime green paper-covered boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate blue+white facsimile advertisement illustrated endpapers.Uk,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,9-160pp [paginated] includes introduction,9 chapters,13 contemporay b/w contemporary photographs+ illus and b/w facsimile illus in 8pp,plus other b/w facsimile illus throughout the text,an index; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,and contents+ illustrations lists/tables. In times gone by the pilchard fishery was one of Cornwall's staple industries,giving employment to thousands both afloat and onshore. This little silvery fish was caught by fleets of picturesque brown-sailed drifters operating from the larger ports,and also by a multitude of seiners scattered in little coves all round the coast.By far the greater quantity of pilchards was taken by seines - fine-meshed nets of enormous length which were shot in a circle around the densely packed shoals as they came into shallow water,enclosing the fish in a vast twine prison from which the fisherman were able to "tuck" them at leisure.Seining was a fascinating thing to watch,with the electrifying cry of "Hevvah!" rousing the community when fish were sighted,the dexterous movements of the fishermen as they cast their great net overboard,the signalling from the cliffs by huers with their bushes and trumpets,and the flash of silver as pilchards were tucked from the seine into waiting dippers.Most of these pilchards were salt cured in large fish "palaces" and exported to the Mediterranean countries,particularly Italy,where they were consumed during Lent.In this book,the story of the Cornish pilchard fishery is related in detail from its rise to importance during the Tudor period through centuries of varied prosperity until its decline and - so far as seining is concerned - extinction in fairly recent times.All aspects of the industry are covered,from the strict and complex legislation by which it was controlled,to the techniques used in curing.Nor is its romantic side forgotten; whilst a series of historic photographs helps to bring additional life to the descriptive text.A classic standard of Cornish pilchard fishing industry/history and as such,uncommon and scarce. The author,born and bred in St. Ives,is (was, died 1985) Curator of the Museum there,and has written extensively on various apsects of Cornish history,particularly its mining and maritime associations. Although Noall suffered from impaired eyesight, which had prevented him from taking-up an academic career,he triumphed over his disability to produce a stream of publications,many of which were models of their type and have stood the test of time as Cornish classics.As one of the more prolific authors of the D. Bradford Barton/Tor Mark Press publishing house he helped pioneer the early growth of what is now a thriving and genuinely indigenous Cornish publishing industry.He is remembered particularly,as a mining historian.However, Noall's interest in Cornish history was by no means confined to mining.He was equally at home with maritime themes,significant too were works on Cornish smugglers,Cornish shipwreckers, shipwrecks,shipwreck rescue,and Cornish Mail and Stage Coaches. See rja425312 for another classic,standard title [Cornish Mining Disasters) by this same author. Please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes -particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,p/backs' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if item offered P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIR postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. 1/2 to 2/3rds of standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving long before the quoted 42 days - but not always. **

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

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