Cape Breton Ships and Men by John P. Parker, M.B.E. Hazell Watson & Viney Ltd, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, 1967. Principal distributors; George J. McLeod Ltd. 73 Bathurst Street, Toronto, 2B. Ont.
Parker’s book mentions a ship builder in River Inhabitance named John McLeod who is very likely to be my gg grandfather so this book is doubly interesting. (How many John McLeod’s were there in River Inhabitance Bridge, Cape Breton Island in the 19th Century who built ships?) There are many short biographies, lists of ships along with their builders and masters, and many instances of Cape Breton doggerel, some very good indeed.
There are detailed descriptions of the types of vessels built in Cape Breton and the uses that were made of them. There is a chapter on the methods of ship building. The chapters provide a geographic tour of Cape Breton ship building ports with descriptions of the people in each location. There are but a few detailed biographies but mention is made of many people so if you have an ancestor who built or owned ships in Cape Breton in the 19th Century it is not unlikely that they will be mentioned.