Thomas F. (hardtack) -
The author of this book was a steamboatman himself. While this is his memoir of his time on the river, he states in two or three places he can't outdo Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi." Granted, Twain's is a hard book to beat, but the author's memoir does a very good job of competing.
However, the first few chapters almost made me stop reading the book. The author went into too much technical detail about the construction and working of the steamboats and piloting for me to enjoy. But then he was both a "cub" engineer and a "cub" and young pilot, so I forgive him for including the excessive details. Fortunately, he then began to provide numerous chapters on the details I wanted... about the people working and riding the boats, cargoes, food, drink, scammers and banknotes, weather, fires, storms, wrecks, and so much more. I found these chapters to be very interesting and enjoyable reading. I was also intrigued to learn the average lifespan of a steamboat was four years. Bur the profits gained over that period of time more than paid for the next boat.
The book was first published in 1909, long before what we today call "political correctness." As a result the author makes frequent used of the words "nigger," "coon," and darkies. I found it interesting he always placed quotes around the first two words, but not darkies. I guess that word wasn't considered racist in 1909. However, there are racist comments sprinkled through the book. This is especially so in the final chapter, where some of the comments expressed I found exceptionally objectionable. But if you can tolerate his comments most of the rest of the book is well worth reading.
I also noticed the text was apparently photocopied from the original. In a number of places there are vertical white "slashes" which replace letters in some text. However, you can usually easily determine the spelling of the words.
However, the first few chapters almost made me stop reading the book. The author went into too much technical detail about the construction and working of the steamboats and piloting for me to enjoy. But then he was both a "cub" engineer and a "cub" and young pilot, so I forgive him for including the excessive details. Fortunately, he then began to provide numerous chapters on the details I wanted... about the people working and riding the boats, cargoes, food, drink, scammers and banknotes, weather, fires, storms, wrecks, and so much more. I found these chapters to be very interesting and enjoyable reading. I was also intrigued to learn the average lifespan of a steamboat was four years. Bur the profits gained over that period of time more than paid for the next boat.
The book was first published in 1909, long before what we today call "political correctness." As a result the author makes frequent used of the words "nigger," "coon," and darkies. I found it interesting he always placed quotes around the first two words, but not darkies. I guess that word wasn't considered racist in 1909. However, there are racist comments sprinkled through the book. This is especially so in the final chapter, where some of the comments expressed I found exceptionally objectionable. But if you can tolerate his comments most of the rest of the book is well worth reading.
I also noticed the text was apparently photocopied from the original. In a number of places there are vertical white "slashes" which replace letters in some text. However, you can usually easily determine the spelling of the words.
