The Dead Men's Song Being the Story of a Poem and a Reminiscent Sketch of its Author Young Ewing Allison

A modest volume gathers together a lively portrait of a once‑forgotten poet whose sea‑song still echoes in the popular chorus “Yo‑ho‑ho and a bottle of rum.” The editor, a close friend, weaves anecdotes, personal letters, and reproductions of original manuscripts into a single, intimate celebration. Readers encounter the celebrated ballad alongside scraps of handwritten notes, early newspaper caricatures, and a handful of quirky illustrations that reveal the author’s humor and his love of pirate lore.

The book also offers a brief “Derelict” sketch that riffs on Stevenson’s Treasure Island, and a collection of assorted reminiscences that hint at the writer’s wider literary life. Facsimiles of early publications, playful commentary on a controversial review, and a handful of marginalia give a sense of the man behind the verse without spilling the story’s later twists. It feels like stepping into a private scrapbook, inviting listeners to hear the rhythm of a bygone era and the friendship that preserved it.