West Wareham author Rachel Rowley Spaulding will sign copies of her debut book, “In Search of Ellen Marie,” at the Wareham Free Library on July 25 at 5:30 p.m.

The book chronicles the curious path she took after buying a painting of the “Ellen Marie,” a commercial fishing boat built in the early 1960s.

Rowley Spaulding went from the gritty docks of New Bedford’s port to quieter harbors in Maine. As someone with no previous ties to the commercial fishing industry, the author’s newfound obsession surprised friends, family and herself.