The Sugar Barons
$33.05
- Paperback
480 pages
- Release Date
15 February 2012
Summary
Power, money, and corruption in the British Empire—the English families for whom the sugar trade brought wealth beyond their wildest dreams.
For 200 years after 1650, the West Indies were the most fought-over colonies in the world, as Europeans made and lost immense fortunes growing and trading in sugar—a commodity so lucrative that it was known as white gold. Young men, beset by death and disease, an ocean away from the moral anchors of life in Britain, created immense dynastic wealt…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780099558453 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0099558459 |
| Author: | Matthew Parker |
| Publisher: | Cornerstone |
| Imprint: | Windmill Books |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 480 |
| Release Date: | 15 February 2012 |
| Weight: | 359g |
| Dimensions: | 197mm x 129mm x 30mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
Compelling, wonderful … The Sugar Barons is an exemplary book; history as it should be written
Compelling, wonderful … The Sugar Barons is an exemplary book; history as it should be written * Independent *
Gripping … a compendium of greed, horrible ingenuity and wickedness, but also a fascinating and thoughtful social history – William Dalrymple
A shocking tale of corruption and brutality … an admirable and gripping history * Sunday Times *
Very impressive - a meticulously researched piece of work, and so engagingly written … what a story! – Andrea Levy, author of Small Island and Long Song
A tumultuous rollercoaster of a book … Mr Parker tells an extraordinary, neglected and shameful history with gusto * Economist *
Parker’s descriptions of West Indian life are not only beautifully crafted but full of surprises. What’s more, his accounts of tropical combat are utterly compelling. As a portrait of the heat, horror and vanity of that time, The Sugar Barons is surely without equal – John Gimlette * Spectator *
Parker’s epic story, from the 19th century to the present day, is awesome * The Times *
An epic tale of human folly and endeavour, beautifully told and researched – John le Carre
Alternately excoriating and scintillating, Parker’s account blends an analysis of how slavery deformed Britain’s early empire with narratives worthy of Conrad. It is a tale peopled by terrifying grotesques: captains of industry whose initiative, swagger and fortitude were more than matched by the monstrous scale of their crimes. – Tom Holland * Guardian (Book of the Year) *
Fabulously researched, the diary entries, letters and papers reveal a staggering level of corruption and cruelty … He constructs, piece by piece, what amounts to a compelling prosecution of the slavery and Imperial greed that left a shocking legacy in the region * Wanderlust *
About The Author
Matthew Parker
Born in Central America, Matthew Parker spent part of his childhood in the West Indies, acquiring a life-long fascination with the history of the region. Since graduating from Oxford, he has worked as an editorial consultant on a number of works of history, and written three bestselling books. He now lives with his family in east London.
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