A Steady Trade: A Boyhood at Sea

A Steady Trade is a wonderful autobiographical book about a teenage boy from Wales who works on sailing barges in the coastal trade in northern Europe in the 30s of the last century. I liked the book because it is well written, and has detailed information about life and work on the sailing barges and small ships that plyed the waters of the English Channel and the rivers of northern Europe. It contains fine descriptions of life in a village in Wales in that bygone era, and many details about boating and shipping in Sussex and Kent, and London. This is one of the best books that I have read about sailing and is a "must read" for anyone interested in what it was actually like when sailboats were the workhorses of coastal shipping--actually the end of that era. There is a certain amount of psuedo-philosophical BS in the book, Welsh boosterism, and idealization of working types in Jones story, but it is easy to skim these parts for those mainly interested in life and work in coastal Great Britain in the 30s. I think this book would be appropriate for children and teenagers who are interested in sailing and working sailboats. There is some bad language, a bit of wry sexual content, and manly dialogue, but nothing frightening or too offensive. The extensive and detailed descriptions of the boats and how they were worked and sailed (without engines) might bore some kids. Mostly the book is charming and absorbing. I would almost be willing to put this book next to Two Years Before the Mast on my shelf. It is that good.

I worked in Barmouth, N. Wales in the early 80's. Mr. Jones accuratley describes the very friendly Welsh people. This book will make you laugh and cry at his adventures. It is a wonder that Mr Jones has kept his innocence in his later writings, after all he went through as a child.

I first read this book when I was probably 11 years old, and have read it I don't know how many times since then. Tristan Jones had the soul of a poet, as well as a natural ability to evoke the spirit of a bygone era seen through the eyes of a boy coming of age. Filled with colorful, sometimes heart-wrenching, often humourous anecdotes, this wonderful book has won a permanent place in my heart - very highly recommended.