In The Wake of the Vital Spark

For generations, Neil Munro's comic creation - the motley crew of the Vital Spark under the command of Para Handy - has enthralled readers as they sailed through the coastal and island waters of the West Coast of Scotland. This book is a nostalgic trip down those same waters at the turn of the century. The ships, the people and the places they frequented are all revealed by Stuart Donald as he explains why Munro's stories are still as popular today as they were almost 100 years ago. Could Munro really have thought up these characters? Or were they drawn from real life? As Donald shows, Munro did indeed draw on his own upper Loch Fyne home country to bring the likes of Para Handy and Hurricane Jack alive and he also reveals why 18 tales were suppressed by Munro when due for book publication. Fully illustrated with rare archive photos never previously published.

Autorentext

The late Stuart Donald was a West Coast of Scotland aficianado and author of Para Handy Sails Again, Para Handy All At Sea and The Complete New Tales of Para Handy. He was manager of the world-famous Cowal Gathering and a full-time freelance writer. He lived in Dunoon, Argyll and died in 2000.

Inhalt

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION PARA HANDY'S REAL WORLD 1 Ports and Harbours 2 Clyde Steamers and other River Vessels 3 A World of Ships and Shipping 4 The Puffers 5 The Puffer Men FACT MEETS FICTION 6 The Vital Spark and the War 7 The Demon Drink THE PARA HANDY STORIES 8 The Vital Spark 9 Who was Para Handy? 10 The Crew 11 Hurricane Jack APPENDICES 12 Cast of Characters 13 What Happened Where 14 Glossary 15 A Note on the Birlinn Edition EPILOGUE The Last Puffer THE STORIES