Spindrift from a House by the Sea by John J. Rowlands. W. W. Norton & Company: New York, 1960.
Per Kirkus Reviews: This is a collection of reminiscences, random investigations, and narratives which the author, a former newspaperman, has tagged ""fragments of life"". The opening A Home By the Sea is a personable, sensitive account of how he came to settle on a cliff overlooking Massachusetts Bay, how he built his house and gardens, weathered the storms, and gathered his knowledge of the manners of the tides, the winds, the ships, the debris of the sea and the seabirds. This is laced with sidetrips into other aspects of New England- its folklore, history, as well as the paraphernalia of a fading era- rail fences, wicker baskets and butter churns. Other pieces deal with a journey to the Canadian Northland, an airplane trip with a child and a moth, a definitive digression on cranberries, a light essay on gadgets selling, etc., etc., and finally a panorama of the seasonal variations in life by the sea. Mr. Rowlands' more organized articles are less appealing than his delicate tracery of the New England coast where his reflections seem distilled by a long and undistracted contemplation of the ebb and flow of life. Reflective, regional reading.
This hardcover first edition is in fair condition and includes the dust jacket. There is darkening on the first pastedown and blank due to the long-term presence of newspaper clippings in the inside cover (these contain reviews of the book and are included in the listing). The dust jacket has chipping around the edges, a price penciled on the front flap, and a previous owner appears to have the corners off of the front flap (as pictured). The interior of the book is in otherwise very good condition with bright, clean pages and tight binding.
Ships domestically via USPS Media Mail.
Product code: 1960 Vintage Illustrated Book: selling Spindrift by John J. Rowlands