I wanted to write a completely factual book that would stand on its own as a piece of journalism. On the other hand, I didn't want the narrative to asphyxiate under a mass of technical detail and conjecture. Foreword, pg xi

How do men act in a sinking ship? Do they hold each other? Do they pass around the whisky? Do they cry? Chapter 1, pg 3

Between the towers is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary, who gazes down with love and concern at a bundle in her arms. This is the Virgin who has been charged with the safety of the local fishermen. The bundle in her arms is not the infant Jesus; it's a Gloucester schooner. Chapter 2, pg 27

The Grand Banks in October is no joke and everybody knows it. There won't be half a dozen boats out there form the whole East Coast fleet. Chapter 2, pg...