White Gold
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
Writer and journalist Giles Milton specializes in the history of travel and exploration. His latest literary adventure, White Gold, is the story of Thomas Pellow, a Cornish cabin boy who was captured at sea by a group of fanatical Islamic slave traders—the Barbary corsairs, taken in chains to the great slave markets of Algiers, Tunis and Salè in Morocco and sold to the highest bidder. Pellow’s purchaser happened to be the tyrannical sultan of Morroco, Moulay Ismail, a man committed to building a vast imperial pleasure palace of unsurpassable splendour built entirely by Christian slave labour. After enduring long periods of torture Pellow converted to Islam and became the personal slave of the sultan for over two decades—including a stint as a soldier in the sultan’s army—before finally making a dramatic escape and return to Cornwall. The account is supported by the unpublished letters and manuscripts of slaves and the various ambassadors sent to free them. This is an excellently written account of the history of the white slave trade. Pellow’s story is an extraordinary one but the real interest lies in the picture Milton builds of life in the slave pens and especially of daily life at the court of the spectacularly barbaric Moulay Ismail. --Larry Brown
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Milton's story could scarcely be more action packed ... If what you want from your history is violent action, exotic locations, a colourful villain and a resourceful hero, you'll find them in this book' Sunday Times 'Milton has created a truly gripping tale...His research is impeccable and his narrative reads in part like a modern-day Robert Louis Stevenson novel.' -- The Sunday Times 'A magnificent piece of popular history' -- Independent on Sunday Acclaim for NATHANIEL'S NUTMEG: 'The thoroughness and intelligence of his research underpins the lively confidence with which he deploys it' -- Times Literary Supplement
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Brilliant research and background work bring to life the story of Morocco's White slave trade. Milton has the skill of a novelist and manages to engage the reader immediately. His stories of Barbary corsairs sailing with inpunity up and down the English channel during the 17th century is incredible-particularly the year when they established a slave gathering base on Lundy Island. He estimates over 1 million European slaves were taken. He centralises his story around Thomas Pellow who endured 23 years in captivity before escaping.
I thoroughly recommend this book to all lovers of well written history.It fills a gap in our knowledge.
I thoroughly recommend this book to all lovers of well written history.It fills a gap in our knowledge.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have been a huge fan of Milton since Nathaniels Nutmeg, which was a phenomenal story. The whole point of his books are to take periods of history, little understood, and create a vivid story. It would be wrong to say it reads like fiction, because one is fully aware you are reading a book of history, but it is told with so much enthusiasm and poise as to make it eminently readable.
The story, as one would guess, is of the little known tale of white slaves that were captured bu the Barbary corsairs and sold to such places as Morocco and Algiers (Algeria). It goes into graphic detail about the conditions and brutality they endured, and the cruelty of their owners, particularly a despotic sultan of Morocco. I mean, you couldn't make up moulay Ismail, a brutal and ruthless villain, who was so unpredictable he could sometimes forgive even treason.
The character we follow is a chap called Thomas Pellow, captured at 11, and subjected to 23 years (ish) slavery. It follows his beatings, his enforced conversion to Islam, his rise in authority in the grandiose palace of Meknes, to when he even defied the Sultan yet lived. He then became a renegade, and thought in an army of such people, and made numerous desperate escape attempts.
Utterley absorbing. We follow sieges, naval battles, tortures, awful executions, daring emissaries, desperate escapes, betrayals. You couldn't ask for much more. If you like your history fast paced and bloody, this is for you.
The story, as one would guess, is of the little known tale of white slaves that were captured bu the Barbary corsairs and sold to such places as Morocco and Algiers (Algeria). It goes into graphic detail about the conditions and brutality they endured, and the cruelty of their owners, particularly a despotic sultan of Morocco. I mean, you couldn't make up moulay Ismail, a brutal and ruthless villain, who was so unpredictable he could sometimes forgive even treason.
The character we follow is a chap called Thomas Pellow, captured at 11, and subjected to 23 years (ish) slavery. It follows his beatings, his enforced conversion to Islam, his rise in authority in the grandiose palace of Meknes, to when he even defied the Sultan yet lived. He then became a renegade, and thought in an army of such people, and made numerous desperate escape attempts.
Utterley absorbing. We follow sieges, naval battles, tortures, awful executions, daring emissaries, desperate escapes, betrayals. You couldn't ask for much more. If you like your history fast paced and bloody, this is for you.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
captivating story,pardon the pun.this book really is an amazing
story of human endurance through the most horrific experiences
fate could throw at anyone,it also gave me an insight into how
the muslim world of north africa held christianity in hatred and
contempt.the tale of thomas pellow captured by barbary pirates
and his servitude under a cruel and sadistic ruler is a truly
remarkable and nightmarish journey told at a terrific pace but
still manages to pack in masses of historical facts and insight
into numerous locations and characters.apart from the central story of pellow and his adventures the descriptions of the conditions and labour of the european slaves is heart rending.
families torn apart,british governments powerless to stop the
white slavers is an episode of our history that needed to be told.a brilliant read.
story of human endurance through the most horrific experiences
fate could throw at anyone,it also gave me an insight into how
the muslim world of north africa held christianity in hatred and
contempt.the tale of thomas pellow captured by barbary pirates
and his servitude under a cruel and sadistic ruler is a truly
remarkable and nightmarish journey told at a terrific pace but
still manages to pack in masses of historical facts and insight
into numerous locations and characters.apart from the central story of pellow and his adventures the descriptions of the conditions and labour of the european slaves is heart rending.
families torn apart,british governments powerless to stop the
white slavers is an episode of our history that needed to be told.a brilliant read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
very good
Excellent seller, most excellent author, I could read this book
over and over again and never ever become tired of it.
I would read anything by this author.
over and over again and never ever become tired of it.
I would read anything by this author.
Published 23 days ago by harmony
white gold
what a great book.If you have no knowledge of the white slave trade then this book is a must.It is well writen and researched and opens up a world that is truly amazing,i came... Read more
Published 1 month ago by kudge
Ripping Yarns
This is ostensibly about the the barbary corsair raids that affected many parts of Europe and colonial america in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Read more
Published 1 month ago by P. Scrivener
Repetitive and long winded
This book introduces us to interesting and relatively unknown part of the slave trade of the 17th and 18th centuries. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Victor Montage
Unbelievable
I stumbled on this book and thought it looked interesting, albeit a subject I had scant knowledge of. I don't think I was actually aware of white slavery - perhaps I am just naive. Read more
Published 4 months ago by RMCT
An interesting subject brought vividly to life
The fact that white slaves were captured from all over Europe and taken to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and elsewhere in North Africa was a complete revelation to me. Read more
Published 4 months ago by B&B Owner
Fascinating
Yet another fascinating book from Giles Milton on a subject that I had never even heard of before.
This is a fabulous book which reads like a novel and will have you... Read more
This is a fabulous book which reads like a novel and will have you... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr Gordon Davidson
slavery
Up to the year 1816 thousands of Europeans (English,French.Italian,Spanish and Dutch) were captured by Barbary corsairs and taken to Meknes(Morocco),Algiers,Tunis and Tripoli as... Read more
Published 5 months ago by G. I. Forbes
A very compelling story.
Wow, what a read. The extraordinary true story of the young Thomas Pellow. To be honest, I couldn't put this book down, every page was riveting. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Captain Howdy
Fascinating book about a little-known piece of history
I have started reading this well-written history about the Barbary pirates and their slaving activities. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Geronimo
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