The Leaper

About the Book

For three years, the author fished commercially for the mighty Atlantic salmon out of a remote fishing station on the west coast of Scotland, working in what would turn out to be a declining inshore fishery. This book is, in part, a poem to Salmo salar, the fabulous leaper of the title, and is also an account of everyday life in this remote and beautiful part of the British Isles. Killer whales, basking sharks, and a hundred other creatures swim into view in this fascinating narrative, not least of which are the hilarious local Highland characters. It needed recording and has been done with great charm.

About the Author

Michael Barrett was born in London and initially trained as an architectural draftsman, after which he had a great variety of jobs ranging from advertising through construction worker, assistant bosun in a Thames boatyard, musician, West-end shop assistant, Australian copper miner, commercial fisherman, and much more. He ended his working life with seven years at the London School of Economics library, and, retiring at sixty, spent periods over several years traveling in the Pacific, pursuing his interest in both Polynesian migration and European exploration. He currently lives among his books and guitars in the western Lake District.