Author to host talk on new book on history of fishing and its long standing connections with Europe

Author John Goodlad with his new book The Sale Roads. Photo: Dave Donaldson. 

Author John Goodlad is to host a talk on his new book exploring how salt fish from Shetland powered an economic boom and inspired artists, writers and musicians.

Goodlad will also be signing copies of The Salt Roads when his visits Shetland Library on Thursday, 8th September.

The book explores the history of Shetland’s fishing industry, tracing it back “from the waters of the North Atlantic, the ice-filled fjords of Greenland and the remote islands of Faroe to the dining tables of London’s middle classes, the bacalao restaurants of Spain and the Jewish shtetls of Eastern Europe”.

“I am delighted to be speaking at the Library about my new book, telling the tale of Shetland’s long standing connections with Europe through stories of interesting people.  I hope my book will appeal to a wide range of readers,” he said.

“Although it is a book about fishing, it is also very much for people who think they are not interested in fishing.”

Speaking to The Shetland Times this week, he said: “I’ve been involved in the seafood industry all my life. Like lots of Shetlanders my family history is in fishing.

“I worked for many years for the Shetland Fishermen’s Association, then I was a fish farmer, and I still work in the seafood industry today.

“But I’ve always been fascinated by the history of fishing.”

Goodlad’s previous book The Cod Hunters was shortlisted for Best Maritime Book of 2020 by the Maritime Foundation. 

The talk starts at 7pm.