The Tinkers Trade

The Tinkers Trade, is a brilliantly told tale of the adventures, love and strength of Rolf, the tinker. In their time, the tinkers were masters of metallurgy and all things mechanical; from repairing a broken ax or a pot to a gun or clock.

This fast paced novel tells of Tinker and his companion Sonja, a blaze faced mule, as they plodded the Appalachian trails and byways; buying, selling and administering as needed. The tinker was sometimes a doctor, a keeper of the peace and even a matchmaker. Very importantly, he was a bearer of news between those far flung homesteads and settlements. Occasionally he was accosted by bandits and brigands who he was obliged to teach "the error of their ways".

In his travels he met, Molly, the love of his life. They were married and cut a swath out of the wilderness for a homestead. Standing shoulder to shoulder the two defended it against all who sought to destroy it. Together, they nurtured the homestead into a settlement which developed into a prosperous town that honors their memories still today.

-- Jim Sanders