Crew culture

"This book looks at merchant seafarers employed in both the coastal and international trades during the past 100 years. "They had a vibrant sub-culture, with its own language, songs, rituals and myths, which exerted an influence on the development of male identity in this country". This history begins in the early years of commercial shipping from about 1840, when Maori played a prominent part in the coastal trade, and closes after World War II"--Publisher's description.