Spinner Publications, Inc. is a community-centered, non-profit publishing house based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. This award-winning local publisher records and promotes the history and culture of the cities and towns of southeastern New England (our own backyard). If you grew up in the Greater New Bedford region or if you're just a New England history buff, you're bound to find a treasure trove of memories and information between these pages.

Drifting Toward the Southeast: The Story of Five Japanese Castaways Told in 1852 by John Manjiro Trans. Junya Nagakuni & Junji Kitadai $25.00 paperback		Manjiro was a fourteen-year old fisherman when he and four companions were shipwrecked and rescued by an American whaling ship in 1841. Captain William Whitfield of the ship John Howland admired the boy's intelligence and resourcefulness and invited him to his home in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, where Manjiro was given a formal education in English, mathematics and navigation. He later signed on as crew aboard a whaling ship and circumnavigated the globe. Longing for Japan, he joined the California Gold Rush and earned passage home. Manjiro risked execution under the strict isolation policies of Japan's ruling Shogunate, but his timing was good. Commodore Matthew Perry and his "Black Ships" arrived demanding that Japan open her ports, and Manjiro proved useful to the government with his knowledge of Western ways. He deeply influenced the pioneers of modernization in Japan, bridging two cultures, and playing a role on a world stage. An extraordinary life for a poor, uneducated boy from a small Japanese fishing village and a wonderful adventure for the reader.

Losing Jonathan Robert Waxler and Linda Waxler $14.00 paperback		When Bob and Linda Waxler received a phone call warning them their beloved and accomplished son Jonathan was taking heroin, they began a journey that took them through the detox hospitals and halfway houses of America. But the second call a year later, from the medical examiner in San Francisco, informing them that Jonathan had died, plunged them into the deep darkness -- a long, lonely journey into the center of themselves. Their task was to survive and even triumph, incorporating Jonathan into their lives not as a lost son, but as a living spirit who is with them in a new way.

Out of the Earth: A Heritage Farm Coast Cookbook Kerry Downey Romaniello $19.95 hardcover		Welcome to the Heritage Farm Coast. Kerry Romaniello, executive chef at Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery, tells the story of our region's rich agricultural heritage, innovative farmers and unique food products. The author has compiled a delectable collection of original recipes, some drawn from local chefs and others from farming families, to demonstrate the versatility of native products such as berries, squash, corn, beans, apples, peaches, potatoes and our own macomber turnip. In eight colorful chapters, the author talks with local farmers who tell of their commitment to quality production. But Out of the Earth is not just about the value of buying and cooking locally grown produce. It stands four-square for the preservation of our precious farmland.

Spinner Volume V Ed. by Marsha McCabe & Joseph D. Thomas $20.00 paperback		The Spinner is the spinner of tales as well as cloth. These oral histories and essays tell the stories of individuals and families, neighborhoods and ethnic groups, industries and the land in Southeastern Massachusetts.

The Strike of '28 Daniel Georgianna $15.95 paperback		The textile industry in New Bedford and Fall River typified the 1920s - drastic wage cuts took place amidst growing productivity while manufacturers put profits elsewhere. In the spring of 1928, thirty-five thousand people in New Bedford and Fall River began a six-month long strike against a 10% wage cut, marking New England's largest strike of the '20s. The Strike of '28 begins with a look at New Bedford's world dominance as a whaling port and the use of that whaling capital to build one of the most important textile centers in the world. The book also explores the development of the mill community, mill expansion and working conditions leading up to the strike and the aftermath of the events of 1928. With photos, first-hand accounts and interviews with strike participants, The Strike of '28 brings to life a touchstone moment in our local history that echoes events across the nation.

Not Just Anywhere Marsha McCabe & Joseph D. Thomas $16.95 paperback		"If you bulldoze your heritage, you become just anywhere." - Sarah Delano Not Just Anywhere tells the story of WHALE - the Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE - an organization that championed the cause of preservation in New Bedford in the 1960s. A fascinating and informative chronicle of the struggle between historical preservation and urban renewal, this book also records the rich history of some of New Bedford's oldest and most important buildings, illustrating the text with numerous photographs and paintings. Not Just Anywhere drives home the idea of a city's character being, in large part, dependent upon it's heritage and how important that history can become to its residents.

A Window Back: Photography in a Whaling Port Nicholas Whitman $44.95 hardcover    $30.00 paperback		A Window Back: Photography in a Whaling Port is a unique portrait of New England's yesterdays from 1845 and 1920. Albumen prints, cabinet cards and rare photographs carefully crafted from original daguerreotypes and glass negatives, illustrate the transformation of an old New England town into a bustling industrial city. Each photograph captures a moment of time, an angle of light, an expression or gesture. Together, these glimpses represent and illuminate our past, giving us a window back on time. It is a past world of waterfronts forested with the masts of sailing ships, and of pastoral farmland that would one day become suburbs. The informative text and captions offer insight into not only the people and places of New Bedford history, but also the story of early photography, and its rapid embrace by professionals, hobbyists, and eventually, the masses.

Moby-Dick: A Picture Voyage Herman Melville $50.00 hardcover $30.00 paperback		Moby-Dick: A Picture Voyage is the first edition of Melville's classic novel to be fully-illustrated with historical images depicting the whaling culture as Melville himself experienced it -- and so eloquently described it -- more than 150 years ago. This 224-page, large format book is a very readable and meticulously edited abridgement that maintains the drama and continuity of the complete novel. Most of the more than 200 original photographs and 150 paintings, drawings, engravings and artifacts used to illustrate the text were created by whalemen during the 19th century. The selection includes beautifully-crafted entries from logbooks, journals and scrimshaw, as well as paintings from some of the most important 19th-century marine artists. Many images are drawn from the world-famous collection of the New Bedford Whaling Museum and Kendall Institute, the largest repository of whaling prints and artifacts in the world. Images were also obtained from private collections, rare books, old films and libraries.

The Ed Letters: Memories of a New England Boyhood Edwin and Cliff Ashley; Edt. Diane DeManbey Duebber $9.95 paperback		Lake Wobegon meets Our Town in 1920s Massachusetts. This folksy collection of letters evokes happy memories of growing up in a small coastal town in the early 1900s. Cliff Ashley was born in 1909 and his brother Ed in 1913. While Ed remained in his hometown of Marion, Massachusetts, Cliff moved to Falmouth, Maine and began a correspondence with his brother that would span more than six decades. With stories that are humorous, often nostalgic, sometimes informative, and always sincere, The Ed Letters is a treasury filled with boyhood antics, simple New England pleasures and spirited people.

Naming the Stones Clara Stites $7.95 paperback		A chapter book for ages ten and up, Naming the Stones tells the story of the great Stone Fleet debacle. Set in New Bedford, Massachusetts in November 1871, a twelve-year-old boy from nearby Dartmouth watches with mixed feelings as the ships of the Stone Fleet prepare for their final, sad voyage and America commits itself to war. The Stone Fleet was an armada of twenty-four whaleships heavily loaded with stone and manned by a skeleton crew that sailed out of New Bedford harbor bound for Charleston Harbor, South Caroline. There, the ships were scuttled in an attempt to blockade this key Confederate port. The blockade failed, stopping not a single Confederate ship. Naming the Stones resonates with themes that are relevant today, reminding us how war engenders fear, sorrow, and patriotism. The book features six original illustrations by Cindy Davis, a brief history of the Stone Fleet with an old photograph of the actually Stone Fleet captains, and Herman Melville's poem, "A Stone Fleet."

A Picture Post Card History of Fairhaven Edt. Joseph Thomas and Jay Avila $22.00 paperback		A Picture Post Card History of Fairhaven is a pictorial treat served up with more than 200 favorite postcards culled from the collections of The Postcard Collaborators of Fairhaven. Shown collectively, the postcards comprise a medley of people, places, and events that paint a broad stroke of New England history. Fairhaven is a microcosm of the American experience -- with Indian and colonial history, American Revolutionary War battles, and a proud seafaring heritage. Stroll along her shady streets and rustic wharves. Visit her beaches, monuments and pavilions. Marvel at her quaint historic homes and architectural splendor. Enjoy the picture postcard town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

Cranberry Cooking for all Seasons Nancy Cappelloni $19.95 paperback		There is nothing more distinctly American than cranberries. One of America's three native fruits, cranberries are not only beautiful and tasty, but they are a source of Vitamin C, free of fat and cholesterol, low in calories and sodium, and relatively high in fiber. In Cranberry Cooking for All Seasons, Nancy Cappelloni has compiled a delectable collection of original recipes ranging from generational family favorites to local chef's specialties. This Spinner original cookbook challenges the cranberry's traditional role as an exclusive holiday ingredient to become the star player in every recipe.