Trafford Publishing Launches Second Edition of Leacock Candidate 'The Raven & I

"The Raven & I: Confessions of a Wooden Boat Lover," originally submitted by its publisher as a candidate for the 2000 Leacock Medal for Humor, is celebrating its second edition with new publisher Trafford Publishing. To coincide with the release, a new web site has been designed which offers readers an extensive inside glimpse of the book, including excerpts.

(PRWEB) July 7, 2004 -- Anyone who enjoys the outdoors, or laughing at the misfortunes of others, will greatly appreciate the new availability of author K. Gordon Greens hilarious book relating to his eighteen-year relationship with a Century Boat Works 1958 Raven, the fast and powerful 22-ft. runabout he refers to as his "mahogany mistress".

Legendary radio satirist Max Ferguson called the book "a wild and wonderfully incredible saga".

Mavor Moore, former Chair of The Canada Council for the Arts, says: "This love story about a boats way with a man should become a Canadian classic. Its as rich as Stephen Leacocks 'The Mariposa Belle"

The Raven is a willful 22-ft. mahogany runabout built in 1958 by Century Boat Works of Manistee, Michigan. Stylish, fast and headstrong, her pinstripe mahogany decks and gleaming chrome fixtures draw whistles of appreciation wherever she docks. But admirers who come too close may be greeted by an irritable rumble from her bilge, for this beauty is a thoroughbred bitch.

Author K. Gordon Green, a successful investment banker accustomed to having his own way, purchases the Raven from a close friend -- who neglects to mention that the sale is the result of an ultimatum from his wife. The besotted Green embarks upon an 18-year relationship with his mahogany mistress anyway, during which time the increasingly capricious Raven asserts her feminine wiles. Her fascination with rocky shoals and repeated demands for cosmetic surgery lead Green to the brink of financial ruin, provoking acerbic asides from his wife and a suggestion from his insurance agent that any future boating activities be limited to the bathtub. From Georgian Bay in Ontario to the summer shores of Vermonts Lake Champlain, a parade of malevolent mechanics, officious lockkeepers and assorted denizens of freshwater settings board the Raven and get caught up in the trail of havoc and destruction left in her wake.

K. Gordon Green came to Canada from England in 1956 and attended University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School. He spent most of his career honing his negotiating skills in the treacherous canyons of Bay Street and Wall Street -- where his pesky streak of irreverence sometimes got him into trouble. A keen outdoorsman and lifelong boater, he now makes his home on Vancouver Island where he lives on the waterfront with his wife Diana.

Excerpts from "The Raven & I" may be reviewed on the web site. Readers with a liking for parades of comedic adventures wrapped in dry wit and dipped in English eccentricity should visit www.spokeinmyfly.com"

The Raven & I: Confessions of a Wooden Boat Lover" was originally published in 1999 by General Store Publishing House.

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