Author and Washington Island Ferryman Dick Purinton to Speak at Sister Bay Library at 1 PM Saturday, Dec 5

Posted on 03. Dec, 2009 by Stephen Kastner in Literature

“Dick Purinton has many great stories to tell. Come listen. Enjoy,” says Door County author and publisher Norbert Blei.

Dick Purinton

For many decades the Washington Island ferry has been crossing through Death’s Door in the gusty, wet and wild days of late November and December. Author, blogger and ferryman, Dick Purinton will talk about his life and his ‘words on water’ at the Sister Bay Library on Saturday, December 5 at 1 pm. It’s a compelling tale of island living, both current and historical.

Dick’s book, Words on Water is one man’s captivating account of the Washington Island Ferry from many perspectives: running cargo and passengers across Death’s Door, the maintenance of machinery, the uncertainties of weather, the Island people, their history and lore, the satisfaction of work, service… living the good Island life.

Here’s an excerpt from one glowing review…

“Words on Water is a gem of a book authored by Richard (Dick) Purinton and published recently by Norb Blei’s Cross+Roads Press. The subtitle, ‘A Ferryman’s Journal, Washington Island, WI’ is more instructive about the book’s contents than is the title. The ferryman is, of course, Purinton, who is also the president of the Washington Island Ferry Line. In addition to his experience on board he brings another skill to the task of writing his journal: that of a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This fact is very apparent in content and style, neither of which are pretentious. Read the entire review by retired professor, Wisconsin bookman, Charles Calkin…

“A year of writing, another of editing, and several months of working with Norbert Blei to get the right sequence of materials, photos, map illustrations… and we are there.” says Dick in his blog, FERRY CABIN NEWS. “Norbert speaks with glowing pride of the look and feel of this book, one of the largest he’s tackled. I think I caught him in a weak moment, because he has much more to do than sweat over details for a novice writer, much less bankroll a project of this type.”

With a typically very small press run, perhaps 500 or less, the first edition quickly sold out. Words On Water, now in its second edition is available from Norb ($19.95 plus $2.75 postage) from Cross + Roads Press: PO Box 33, Ellison Bay, Wisconsin 54210. Books are also available at the following locations in Door County:

The Maritime Museum, (Sturgeon Bay);
Main Street Market (Egg Harbor);
Novel Ideas (Baileys Harbor);
Passtimes Books and Book World (Sister Bay);
William Caxton Books Ltd, (Ellison Bay);
The Washington Island Ferry Terminal and Islandtime Books (Washington Island).