From the earliest days of the Industrial Revolution to the late 1950s, horse-drawn narrow boats were a familiar sight on Britain's canals. Carrying a wide variety of cargoes to such destinations as the Potteries, the textile mills of Lancashire, and the papermills of Croxley, narrow boats were of vital importance to the country's economy, yet little has been recorded about the lives of the canal families - in particular the women. Drawing on extensive interviews with boatwomen born and bred on the Oxford Canal, Sheila Stewart here recalls country fairs and courtships, family tragedies, the hardships endured during the Depression, dangerous journeys to munitions factories during the World War II, and the decline of the canals after 1945. Full of poignant personal stories of astonishing courage and resilience, this compelling book captures a unique way of life during the first sixty years of this century.