Hardcover
Slaver turned hero: a ship’s dramatic fight for freedom.

Predator of the Seas

A History of the Slaveship that Fought for Emancipation

$47.99

  • Hardcover

    368 pages

  • Release Date

    27 November 2024

Check Delivery Options

Summary

The dramatic biography of a slaveship turned freedom-fighter—which brings new insights into Britain’s involvement in the end of the trade in enslaved people

In 1827 the Royal Navy purchased a Baltimore clipper and renamed her the Black Joke. Assigned to the Preventative Squadron, she patrolled the west coast of Africa and freed 3,692 captives from enslavement. Beloved by seafarers and celebrated by the public, the Black Joke would become the most fam…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780300263992
ISBN-10:0300263996
Author:Stephen Taylor
Publisher:Yale University Press
Imprint:Yale University Press
Format:Hardcover
Number of Pages:368
Release Date:27 November 2024
Weight:604g
Dimensions:152mm x 235mm
A-Format
B-Format
C-Format
Predator of the Seas by Stephen Taylor - ISBN: 9780300263992
152 × 235 mm
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“Stephen Taylor … combines narrative vigor with a scholarly attention to detail to convey the morally fraught saga of the Henriqueta—as well as the wider drama of which it was a part.”—Fergus M. Bordewich, Wall Street Journal

“A ship biography like no other… . [An] extremely well-written book, a historical page-turner with engaging accounts of naval battles that also leaves you with a broad understanding of the subject.”—Nautilus International

“Abolishing the slave trade was one thing, enforcing that abolition quite another. Predator of the Seas brings a new perspective to the story—the view from the deck of a vessel which served on both sides.”—Michael Bundock, author of The Fortunes of Francis Barber

“This brilliant, challenging book handles complex and controversial issues of race, slavery and agency with insight.”—Andrew Lambert, author of Nelson

“By turns moving and harrowing, this deeply researched narrative of the mechanics of the Atlantic slave trade and one ship’s attempt to thwart it makes for a terrific read.”—Roger Crowley, author of Conquerors

“This tightly-focused account of the horrific trade that took enslaved Africans to Brazil, and the moral ambiguities of Britain’s nineteenth-century anti-slavery patrols, is a page-turner—searing and atmospheric.”—Margarette Lincoln, author of Trading in War

About The Author

Stephen Taylor

Stephen Taylor is a writer of maritime history, biography, and travel. He has worked as a foreign correspondent for The Times, The Observer, and The Economist, and is the author of Storm and Conquest, Commander, and Sons of the Waves.

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.