The story of a Victorian philanthropist who reformed shipping laws, saved thousands of sailors' lives and became a national hero

'A story of ambition, treachery, libel, political intrigue and cold-blooded murder on a mass scale' Herald

'Nicolette Jones charts Plimsoll's course with skill, insight and elegance' Sunday Telegraph

'Splendid and meticulously researched' Guardian

In the second half of the nineteenth century, an astonishing campaign stirred a nation to save the lives of the hundreds of British sailors who were drowning unnecessarily every year. Overladen and ill-repaired ships set sail, their doomed crews sacrificed while mercenary shipowners profited from the insurance. Samuel Plimsoll blew the whistle on these scandalous practices, devoting his life to a campaign for maritime reform. Plimsoll caught the public imagination: under his banner working men and women stood side by side with enlightened aristocrats and industrialists, their clamour almost toppling a prime minister.

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About the Author
Nicolette Jones is a writer, journalist, literary critic and broadcaster. Her book The Plimsoll Sensation was a Radio 4 Book of the Week and won two maritime literature prizes. Her other books include The American Art Tapes: Voices of Twentieth-Century Art. She is the long-standing children's books reviewer of the Sunday Times and was a nominee for the Eleanor Farjeon Award for outstanding service to the world of children's books. In 2022, she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Reviews
Splendid and meticulously researched * Guardian *
A story of ambition, treachery, libel, political intrigue and cold-blooded murder on a mass scale... told in an engaging, witty, racy style * Herald *
Excellent... Nicolette Jones charts Plimsoll's course with skill, insight and elegance * Sunday Telegraph *
Jones clearly loves her subject... Her set-pieces mix sensitively and narrative gusto. Dickens would have delighted in this story * Jonathan Keates *
Jones's strength lies in bringing to life the sailor's friend and the political climate in which he battled * The Economist *
An excellent, circumstantial biography that alerts us to how much still remains to be done in the cause of safety at sea * The Times *
A fine piece of work - fluently written, full of interesting things * Spectator *
Jones is sure-footed, never allowing her empathy with her subject to blind her to his failings. Her comprehensive biography... will be the first port of call for all future researchers * Sunday Times *
Expertly tracked * Observer *
Excellently researched... a welcome reappraisal of one of Britain's long-forgotten heroes * Camden New Journal *
Jones's account is entirely worthy of its deserving subject... rehabilitates a man who remains a household name, but whose legion achievements have been forgotten * Independent *
A fascinating piece of social history * Sunday Herald *


Awards
Winner of Mountbatten Maritime Award 2006 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780349117201
Author Nicolette Jones
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Abacus
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 295g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 29mm