---
product_id: 1705939
title: "The Slave Ship: A Human History"
price: "€ 35.87"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/1705939-the-slave-ship-a-human-history
store_origin: BE
region: Belgium
---

# The Slave Ship: A Human History

**Price:** € 35.87
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** The Slave Ship: A Human History
- **How much does it cost?** € 35.87 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/1705939-the-slave-ship-a-human-history)

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## Description

In a chilling exploration of a nearly forgotten chapter of history, Marcus Rediker delves into the dark depths of slave ships in the 18th century. In this widely praised history of an infamous institution, award-winning scholar Marcus Rediker shines a light into the darkest corners of the British and American slave ships of the eighteenth century. With meticulous detail, Rediker uncovers the harsh realities of the slave trade, shedding light on the inhumane treatment of captives and the power dynamics aboard the ships. From the economic motivations driving the trade to the efforts of abolitionists, this book reveals the birth of African American culture amidst a backdrop of horror and despair. Drawing on thirty years of research in maritime archives, court records, diaries, and firsthand accounts, The Slave Ship is riveting and sobering in its revelations, reconstructing in chilling detail a world nearly lost to history: the "floating dungeons" at the forefront of the birth of African American culture. This is a powerful and important addition to the study of history, shedding light on a tragedy that should never be forgotten.

Review: Astounding detailed facts about the slave trade - This 434 page book "The slave ship" by Marcus Rediker is a complete detailed account of the 400 years of legal slave trading that officially ended May 1st,1807.It relates all the details,including the hardware and tools used (drawings since no photography was invented yet) used to keep the prisoners,the netting surrounding the ship to prevent escapes,even down to a vivid description of the sharks who constantly circled the waters of such vessels eagerly awaiting any dead thrown overboard.In this book are 1st hand accounts of slaves,captains and deck hands of every color and background.In this book are accounts of who captured them and why and from where.Included are various drawings of the various sized ships and the legal slave capacity of 2 slaves per ton of ship weight as established by the slave carrying bill of 1799 and the Dolben act of 1788 and the exact science and logistics thereof of trafficking in human cargo.Maps of the areas are also included in this book .How many dead (both crew and slaves)were acceptable to make a profit to the owners of these ships.In short this book is a "how they did it" in easy to read thou often gruesome words are employed. An entire chapter(and then some) is devoted to John Newton,the slave captain who later renounced his allegiance to the slave trade and turned Christian and who also wrote the Gospel hymn "Amazing Grace"A reading of John Newtons bio is in order to get a fuller picture of the slave trade he objected to but still did. There are detailed notes on each chapter for further study if desired as well as a full alphabetical index to look up names or people. While reading this book I noticed quite a few silimarites between the slave trade and the abortion issue that were not mentioned in the book.Here are a few I quickly jotted down: 1.Both not considered human,thus any treatment was at the discression of the owner. 2.Both pratices were considered uncomfortable with the general public 3.Both were promoted on the backs of the poor 4.Both are mere property of their owners 5.Both were done for "the victims own good"
Review: Painful truth - Outstanding, heartbreaking, informative, the most eye openig book about the horrific slave trade I have ever read. A must read for anyone with the desire to understand the seldom mentioned srart of slavery in the western hemisphere.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #271,574 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #70 in Slavery & Emancipation History #562 in Discrimination & Racism #874 in African American Demographic Studies (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 698 Reviews |

## Images

![The Slave Ship: A Human History - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Ox-MEBeGL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Astounding detailed facts about the slave trade
*by 2***E on March 9, 2013*

This 434 page book "The slave ship" by Marcus Rediker is a complete detailed account of the 400 years of legal slave trading that officially ended May 1st,1807.It relates all the details,including the hardware and tools used (drawings since no photography was invented yet) used to keep the prisoners,the netting surrounding the ship to prevent escapes,even down to a vivid description of the sharks who constantly circled the waters of such vessels eagerly awaiting any dead thrown overboard.In this book are 1st hand accounts of slaves,captains and deck hands of every color and background.In this book are accounts of who captured them and why and from where.Included are various drawings of the various sized ships and the legal slave capacity of 2 slaves per ton of ship weight as established by the slave carrying bill of 1799 and the Dolben act of 1788 and the exact science and logistics thereof of trafficking in human cargo.Maps of the areas are also included in this book .How many dead (both crew and slaves)were acceptable to make a profit to the owners of these ships.In short this book is a "how they did it" in easy to read thou often gruesome words are employed. An entire chapter(and then some) is devoted to John Newton,the slave captain who later renounced his allegiance to the slave trade and turned Christian and who also wrote the Gospel hymn "Amazing Grace"A reading of John Newtons bio is in order to get a fuller picture of the slave trade he objected to but still did. There are detailed notes on each chapter for further study if desired as well as a full alphabetical index to look up names or people. While reading this book I noticed quite a few silimarites between the slave trade and the abortion issue that were not mentioned in the book.Here are a few I quickly jotted down: 1.Both not considered human,thus any treatment was at the discression of the owner. 2.Both pratices were considered uncomfortable with the general public 3.Both were promoted on the backs of the poor 4.Both are mere property of their owners 5.Both were done for "the victims own good"

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Painful truth
*by W***. on January 14, 2026*

Outstanding, heartbreaking, informative, the most eye openig book about the horrific slave trade I have ever read. A must read for anyone with the desire to understand the seldom mentioned srart of slavery in the western hemisphere.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The middle passage from stem to stern
*by L***E on October 6, 2009*

The book is written in crisp clean prose. It is highly educational. It contains a wide variety of anecdotes and interesting short stories that are all connected in the context of slavery. This vast human drama is set against the details of doing business in the slave trade: funding voyages, outfitting ships, recruiting sailors, kidnapping victims, buying and selling people on both sides of the Atlantic, securing, guarding, and sustaining captives, maintaining order through fear, terror, and torture, controlling rebels and squelching uprisings, dealing with illness, death, despondency, and mutiny, and the role of sharks in keeping discipline. The book goes into some detail about the embryonic abolition movement with specific focus on the slave ship Brooks and the efforts of Thomas Clarkson. It also sheds light on the life and times of John Newton, author of the hymn Amazing Grace. Oddly enough, no mention is made of the Amistad (but that saga is thoroughly described elsewhere). The book includes about 40 pages of notes. Maps of West African slaving areas with labels for ethnic groups and towns are printed near the front of the book. It also contains a small collection of illustrations and photos on glossy paper. The book ends with a pitch for reparations which seemed a bit off kilter to me. A considerably longer essay could be devote to that contentious subject. Atonement by this generation for the monstrous deeds of the past is a prickly subject fraught with legal issues and bureaucratic snafus. It's also a political hot potato.

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*Product available on Desertcart Belgium*
*Store origin: BE*
*Last updated: 2026-05-26*