Isaac M. (Isaac Morton) Small

Born in North Truro, Massachusetts, Isaac M. Small was closely tied to Cape Cod and especially to Highland Light. Reliable records found during research place his life in the mid-19th to early 20th century, and sources about his career describe him as a marine telegraph operator and reporter who spent many years tracking vessels off the Cape.

Small is best remembered for writing about the region he knew firsthand. He wrote Highland Light: This Book Tells You All About It and is also associated with Shipwrecks on Cape Cod, drawing on long experience with coastal traffic, storms, and local history. That background gives his work a direct, lived-in quality that still makes it appealing to readers interested in New England, lighthouses, and the sea.

Beyond his books, accounts of his life portray him as a longtime correspondent connected with ship news and Cape events. His writing stands out less for literary showmanship than for its plainspoken authenticity: he knew the people, the coast, and the dangers of the water, and he wrote from the middle of that world.