The diary of Laura Jernegan, a young girl who traveled with her family on her father's whaling ship in the 1860s who records her schooling, dangerous whale hunts, and the activities of her baby brother. Includes activities and a timeline related to this era.

From the acclaimed author of Vacationland comes an emotionally gripping novel about a woman who returns to her hometown in coastal Maine and finds herself pondering the age-old question of what could have been. • “Emotionally gripping.... Filled with humor, insight, summer cocktails, and gorgeous sunsets...An ideal summer read.” —Redbook When Eliza Barnes was growing up in the lobstering village of Little Harbor, Maine, she could haul a trap and row a skiff with the best of them—but she’d always known she’d leave that life behind. Now she’s settled in the high-society circle of an affluent Massachusetts town with her husband and two daughters. But when her father—a widowed lobsterman—injures himself in a boating accident, Eliza returns to her hometown to come to his aid. When she arrives in Maine, she discovers her father’s situation is more dire than he let on. Her homecoming is further complicated by the reemergence of her first love—and the repercussions of their shared secret. Then Eliza meets Mary Brown, a seventeen-year-old local who is at a crossroad of her own, and Eliza can’t help but wonder what her life would have been like if she'd stayed. By turns poignant, incisive, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Captain’s Daughter is an unforgettable novel about the choices we make and the consequences we face in their wake.

Now known as a resort community and vacation destination, Martha's Vineyard was once a simple fishing and whaling community. From the popularity of the Methodist Campground, founded in 1835, the Vineyard soon blossomed into a summer vacation mecca, welcoming visitors to its quaint villages and scenic seashores. As whaling lost its economic dominance, tourism became the catalyst for a revived prosperity on the Vineyard. President Grant's visit to the Vineyard in 1874 drew national attention and marked the beginning of several presidential visits to the island. By 1900, Oak Bluffs had developed an amusement park atmosphere with the iconic Flying Horses, toboggan slide and grand seaside hotels. Join local historian Tom Dresser as he reveals the island's transformation into a premier tourist destination.

Martha's Vineyard is cherished by many as a summer paradise, but few know of its rich past. Descendants of the first Native American inhabitants still reside on the Vineyard. Once a critical whaling hub, the island's success drew in newcomers from around the world. Following the Civil War, land developers set their sights on attracting tourists to the island's scenic beaches, and soon thereafter, a visit from President Grant established Martha's Vineyard as a vacation haven. From a movement to secede from Massachusetts to the making of the summer blockbuster Jaws, author Thomas Dresser weaves together the threads of the Vineyard's fascinating history. Discover how this remarkable island adapted to the times and came to be one of the most sought-out vacation destinations on the East Coast.

In 1895 Joshua Slocum set sail from Gloucester, Massachusetts, in the Spray, a thirty-seven-foot sloop. More than three years later, he became the first man to circumnavigate the globe solo, and his account of that voyage, Sailing Alone Around the World, made him internationally famous. But scandal soon followed, and a decade later, with his finances failing, he set off alone once more—never to be seen again. In this definitive portrait of an icon of adventure, Geoffrey Wolff describes, with authority and admiration, a life that would see hurricanes, shipwrecks, pirate attacks, cholera, smallpox, and no shortage of personal tragedy.