The Slave Ship

The human drama of the slave trade told from a new perspective, from the decks of the slave ship

Marcus Rediker holds a Ph.D in history from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh. One of Americas foremost maritime and Atlantic historians, he has held several fellowships and lectured around the world. He is author of four books, including (with Peter Linebaugh) the prize-winning The Many-Headed Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, Commoners, and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic.

'A shockingly vivid work ... from a gifted chronicler of history's lower decks, at home in the unruly Atlantic world of pirates, slavers, sailors, runaways and rebels' -- Boyd Tonkin, Independent 'Enlightening and moving ... Rediker comes closer than anyone so far to recreating the horrifying social reality of the Atlantic slave ship ... If anyone doubts the reality of that human story, they only need to read Rediker's book' -- James Walvin, BBC History Magazine 'Meticulously researched ... a terrible tale told here with great skill, clarity and compassion' Siobhan Murphy, Metro -- Siobhan Murphy, Metro 'The slave ship is a powerful focus for a profound drama' -- Iain Finlayson, The Times 'A brilliantly organised and compelling study of the Atlantic slave trade ... A truly magnificent book' -- Sunday Telegraph 'The Slave Ship provides eloquent testimony to the high human drama of Atlantic 'trafficking'; the greed of the few and the manifold misery of the many that was endured in the trivial cause of sweetness' -- Ian Thomson, Spectator 'Rediker has made magnificent use of archival data; his probing, compassionate eye turns up numerous finds that other people who've written on the subject, myself included, have missed' -- Adam Hochschild, International Herald Tribune 'Rediker has produced a gripping study of one aspect of a great evil' -- Sunday Herald 'Gripping drama of human suffering' -- Lucy Sholes, Observer 'Brilliant study' -- Socialist Review 'The Slave Ship is dramatic, moving and kaleidoscopic' -- London Review of Books 'In this compelling books Marcus Rediker extends his widely known and highly respected mastery of the social history of the Anglo-American North Atlantic to the slave ship ... the book is intricately conceptualized and written beautifully' -- International Journal of Maritime History