Product Description

Upon its publication in 1979, Bill McCloskey's Highliners won acclaim and a cult following for its rousing, realistic portrayal of the world of the Alaska Fishery. "Highliners" is the commercial fishermen's term for their own elite, the skippers and crews who bring in the biggest hauls. Set in Kodiak, Highliners brings into sharp relief the lives of the men and women who make their living catching salmon, king crab, halibut, and shrimp off the coast of Alaska.

Hank Crawford comes to Kodiak as a college student to work in the canneries during the summer. But he is inexorably drawn to the water and to the hard, often brutal existence of the fishermen, and ultimately, he joins their ranks. Highliners chronicles Hank's journey from greenhorn to highliner, and the triumphs and tragedies of the people he comes to know so well.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #310178 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

From Publishers Weekly
First published in 1979, McCloskey's regional bestseller portrays the lives of Alaska's expert fishermen, the highliners; a Pacific Northwest cult classic.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
McCloskey's 1979 story of a college student's initiation into the world of "highliners," the elite crews of Alaskan fishing fleets and the numerous perils they face in the frigid waters of the North, scored high marks with critics.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Raw and bracing as icy seawater. -- Kirkus Reviews

Sexy, violent, and entertaining. -- Baltimore Magazine

Customer Reviews

An interesting mix of fact and fiction
I read this book years ago when it was first published. Like one of the other reviewers, I was at the time a commercial fisherman myself, living in Kodiak, and this was one of the few books around that talked about the "life and times" of Alaskan fishermen. The book uses an interesting format, alternating chapters of fact and fiction. With the recent popularity of fishing books (Perfect Storm, Hungry Ocean, Lost at Sea, Working on the Edge, etc), I'll bet that this book will enjoy a renewed-popularity. However - readers of those books should be aware that this is mostly a fictional account of a character as he works in various different fisheries - it is not a factual documentary-type book like the ones mentioned above.

The real story of Alaska commercial fishing
I make my living teaching about commercial fishing. I am glad to see this book still in print so I can continue to recommend it to my students. It is, by far, the most entertaining and historically accurate account of Southwest Alaska and fishing from the 50's to the 70's. It should be required reading for anyone who fishes crab, salmon, and groundfish out there. Bill is a great writer, and this book is more or less his own experience. It is good for both its historical accuracy and the personal story of what is was like to see our fisheries develop to what they are today. He continues to come here and go out on boats to learn and write more. There is no else one who has the combination of great writing skill and experience in these fisheries, and this book is well worth reading. You will enjoy the story, you will learn something, and you will want to be Bill McCloskey (and live through it, like he did).

Been there done that!
A great novel written by someone who has been there. The reader can feel and smell the Alaskan fishing industry as the writer takes you from 'greenhorn' to 'highliner'.