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Enjoy browsing through the variety of books published, produced and distributed by Penobscot Books. We feature books that celebrate our area’s uniqueness and spectacular nature and scenic beauty, including history, memories, cookbooks and children’s books. Also available are 1880s reproduction maps of our area and DVDs featuring Deer Isle and Castine.
The Life of a Maine Lobsterman—82 Years on the Water
The Life of a Maine Lobsterman—82 Years on the Water
By Andrew Gove
An inherently fascinating, exceptionally informative, and impressively crafted autobiography, “The Life of a Maine Lobsterman: 82 Years on the Water” will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly popular addition to community, college, and university library American Biography collections, as well as the personal reading lists for anyone with an interest in the American lobster fishing industry and history. — Midwest Book Review
Andrew Gove represents a disappearing culture. In 1937 at age 7, he started lobstering from Eagle Island, Maine, and didn’t quit for 82 years. That hard-work ethic stemmed directly from his upbringing on Eagle Island, one that focused on family interdependence, self-sufficiency, trust and honesty—concepts he exhibited throughout his entire life.
“A warm and authentic chronicle of living and fishing in Maine.” — Kirkus Reviews
Andy was one of the hardest workers on the water in his lifetime, fishing for lobster, halibut and herring out of Stonington, Maine, and was always willing to lend a hand to those in distress, whether in his boat or his plane. But he also knew how to play and participated in the Maine Lobsterboat Races for many years, winning races a multitude of times.
Andy’s memoir is written with warmth, humor and humility. Told in his own words and unique voice, reading it will make you feel like you’re sitting at his kitchen table, listening to his stories and feeling his love, compassion and commitment to family, friends, work and animals.
Read the full Midwest Book Review in “The Biography Shelf” here. Read the full Kirkus review here.
“This memoir speaks to all of us. For those of us whose lives Andy touched directly, as he did mine for 50 years, this memoir is a reminder and reinforcement of our shared experiences. For those who come to know him through this book, the legacy of his life’s lessons is here for all.”
—Nat Barrows, Publisher
Andy Gove memory page: Click here to read and share memories of Andy.
About the author: Andrew Gove was born in 1930 in Stonington, Maine, and grew up under the tutelage of his grandparents on Eagle Island, Maine, just off the coast of Deer Isle. Stemming from self-sufficient hard-working people, he gained an early work ethic and started lobstering at age 7. He continued to fish for 82 years, learning to fly a two-seater Cessna in his 40s so he could spot schools of herring and, not incidentally, assist those in distress on the water. He began writing down the stories of his experiences in later life, prompted by so many who told him he should write a book. Sadly, Andy died in June 2020, having reached age 90 and just a few months shy of seeing his book dream come to fruition and holding a book in his hands.
ISBN: 978-0-941238-31-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020947375
Publisher: Penobscot Books, A Division of Penobscot Bay Press, Inc.
Publish date: December 2020
Dimensions: 7” x 10”
Pages: 196
Features: 156 photos, many historical in nature
Genre: Biography/Autobiography: Personal Memoir
Printed in the USA by 360 Digital Books, Madison Heights, Michigan