Why is it that "of all seafarers there are none more superstitious than fishermen"? This new eBook addresses and answers that question. Dr. Alec Gill's in-depth study of the Hessle Road Fishing Community of his homeport of Hull (Yorkshire, England) has pondered this question for almost four decades. Alec is both a social-folk historian and psychologist with a keen interest in the fishing families of Hull. One of his prime conclusions is that the fishing fraternity perpetuate the ancient, primitive superstitious beliefs because they are constantly living under the shadow of death - Arctic trawlermen worked in the most dangerous job in the world. SUPERSTITIONS: Folk Magic in Hull's Fishing Community is Alec Gill's fifth book (originally printed in 1993 – and his first eBook in 2013) to arise from his twenty years research (+ 20 = 40 years) into the port's trawling heritage. It brings together two separate strands of his life which both started in 1974. That year he began his dedicated research into the port's Hessle Road fishing community and industry; and also became a Psychology undergraduate student at Hull University. These two loves of his life have now been brought together - superstitions have a deep subconscious, primitive dimension. This original work weaves together anecdotes from the fishing families and academic research into the ancient folklore beliefs. The book is in five parts. The first four stem from in-depth interviews with the Hessle Roaders about the superstitious culture within which they and their kin grew up. Nearly 400 superstitions and stories are related - among them are the baby’s caul, sailing-day, whistling women, nicknames, corpses at sea, ominous animals, fire magic, Friday 13th, and why money was thrown away by crewmen about to set off for the Arctic fishing grounds. Part Five is called 'Fear of the Gods' and examines the emotional motives for the survival of folk magic in the age of science. Related issues include psychology, gambling, the occult, paganism, witchcraft, and the female fates. There are sixty illustrations (plus many more in this eBook version) and a detailed index (I omitted this in my eBook because the in-built search facility makes the traditional index redundant – and saves me lots of time and effort in 2013!). The book provides a thorough exploration of "the most superstitious community in the British Isles".