“John Sledge is a historian of the fi rst order, and he is also an exceptional writer. This is
history at its best – engaging, focused on the people, and well-researched. The history of
the Gulf is an international, multi-generational tale, and Sledge navigates it like a skilled
mariner.”
—James Delgado, maritime archaeologist, historian, explorer and author
July/August • 2020 • GASPARILLA MAGAZINE 17
pirate raids, foreign invasion, civil war, and
revolution. These are the things that have fed
my thoughts and dreams for more than half a
century. Now it is time to write about them.”
In a book full of historical treasures, the
relationship fi shermen had with the Gulf of
Mexico is vividly explained by the author.
“Fishermen love the Gulfstream, and little
wonder,” John said. “Warm and nutrient
fi lled, it is a veritable seafood market speeding
beneath their hulls. But anglers needn’t
cruise the Stream’s Eastern Seaboard course
to have a productive fi shing day. “
The Gulf teems with sea life, from
microscopic phytoplankton to 40-foot whale
sharks, and everything in between. The most
popular sport fi sh species include red
snapper, grouper, amberjack, sheepshead,
king mackerel, sea trout, red drum, black
drum, bluefi sh, tarpon, blue marlin and
sailfi sh.
Additionally, John addresses the 25
species of marine mammals (including
blue whale, humpback whale, minke whale,
sperm whale, killer whale, Atlantic bottlenose
dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin, striped
dolphin, West Indian manatee, West Indian
Monk seal), 49 shark species (bull, thresher,
nurse, hammerhead, white tip, black tip,
lemon, sandbar, and tiger, to name a few),
fi ve sea turtle species (loggerhead, green,
Kemp’s ridley, Atlantic hawksbill, leatherback),
450 species of mollusks (including
snails, slugs, squid, octopus, mussels,
scallops, oysters), 1,500 species of crustaceans
(such as krill, barnacles, crab, shrimp),
and 400 species of echinoderms (sea
urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars, sea lilies
and sand dollars).
“Little wonder that almost anywhere one
dips a net or throws a hook, the Gulf
delivers,” John wrote.
This book is a masterful combination of
scientifi c and historic tales that can be
consumed like a fi ve-course meal, and
includes illustrations to stimulate the mind
and leave the reader wanting more. From
Ponce de León to Ernest Hemingway fi ghting
Nazi U-boats with his beloved Pilar, to French
pirates and Hurricane Katrina, this all-encompassing
book is a must read.
John S. Sledge is senior architectural
historian for the Mobile Historic Development
Commission and a member of the
National Book Critic’s Circle. He holds a
bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish
from Auburn University and a master’s in
historic preservation from Middle Tennessee
State University.
Sledge is the author of six previous books,
including “Southern Bound: A Gulf Coast
Journalist on Books,” “Writers, and Literary
Pilgrimages of the Heart,” “The Mobile River”
and “These Rugged Days: Alabama in the
Civil War.”
You can purchase The Gulf of Mexico: A
Maritime History on amazon.com and in
bookstores.
Jonathan Herbert is an award-winning writer who
grew up in Englewood. His novels, Banyan Street
and Silver King have won multiple literary awards,
including recognition from the Paris Book Festival.
You can follow him on Twitter @herbertnovels or
on the web at herbertnovels.com
/amazon.com
/herbertnovels.com
