Number 301 in the Little Blue Book ten cent pocket series, edited by E. Haldeman-Julius. This book does not include melodies and most shanties include only fragments, but Finger provides context for each song.

Charles J. Finger (1869–1941) was born in Willesden, England, and educated at King’s College London. By his own account, as a young man he traveled to Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia, working as a gold seeker and on early sheep farming stations in the region. He later sailed aboard the Seatoller and the Akaba, among other ships. After settling in Fayetteville, Arkansas, he became a prolific author, writing over thirty books across folklore, biography, and adventure. In this pamphlet he describes much overlap between the popular cowboy songs and those enjoyed in forecastles during the final days of sail.