Chester Brigham's latest book of Gloucester history and art, On Opposite Tacks, compares and contrasts the careers of two men who epitomized the diametrically opposite populatons that have long defined this crusty, colorful New England seaport: fishermen and artists. 300 pages include, citations, index and 10 pages of illustrations. Paperback dimensions, 6"x9".

About the book:
John Sloan, major American painter identified with the "Ashcan School," and Capt. Solomon Jacobs, schooner fisherman and ocean adventurer, were both in Gloucester from 1914 to 1918. Sloan, during five consecutive extended summers in Gloucester, was reinventing himself as an artist following the upheaval in the arts occasioned by the 1913 Armory Show in New York. Paintings of Sloan's "Gloucester period" are looser than his earlier works, more spontaneous, with exuberant colors. Color reproductions of John Sloan Gloucester paintings on inside covers and back cover.

Capt. Jacobs was winding down a colorful career of voyaging and enterprise, but was not yet ready to go quietly.Then America entered World War I, and the Gloucester fishing fleet was decimated by U-boat attacks. Capt. Jacobs, aged 70, volunteered and served as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy Volunteer Reserve. John Sloan, a pacifist, opposed the war. On Opposite Tacks explores the contrasts and parallels between the two men that shaped their differing responses to life and war.

About the author:
Chet Brigham is constantly astonished by the many facets of life on Cape Ann, and has sought to describe this rich variety in his nonfiction books. In "The Stream I Go A-Fishing In" he tells the story of a "fiddling fisherman" who became a concert violinist and impresario in Manhattan. In "Gloucester's Bargain with the Sea" he explores the factors that atttracted noted artists and writers to Gloucester in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most recently, in "On Opposite Tacks," he compares an iconic Gloucester fishing captain with a major artist and finds unexpected parallels between the careers of the two men.