Description
This is the forgotten story of the million white Europeans, snatched from their homes and taken in chains to the great slave markets of North Africa to be sold to the highest bidder. Ignored by their own governments, and forced to endure the harshest of conditions, very few lived to tell the tale.
Using the firsthand testimony of a Cornish cabin boy named Thomas Pellow, Giles Milton vividly reconstructs a disturbing, little known chapter of history. Pellow was bought by the tyrannical sultan of Morocco who was constructing an imperial pleasure palace of enormous scale and grandeur, built entirely by Christian slave labour. As his personal slave, he would witness first-hand the barbaric splendour of the imperial court, as well as experience the daily terror of a cruel regime.
Gripping, immaculately researched, and brilliantly realised, WHITE GOLD reveals an explosive chapter of popular history, told with all the pace and verve of one of our finest historians.
Rich in historical insight and told in a dramatic and engaging voice, this is a superb evocation of the period with a series character to rival Sharpe.
About the Author
Giles Milton is the million-copy, internationally bestselling author of a dozen works of narrative history. His books have been translated into twenty-five languages. Two of Milton's previous works, Nathaniel's Nutmeg and Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, are currently being developed into major screen projects. Milton is the writer and narrator of the acclaimed narrative podcast series, Ministry of Secrets, produced by Sony and available on all platforms. He lives in London and Burgundy.
Reviews
Giles Milton has a gift for searching out odd and forgotten corners of history and turning them into bestselling books... this is not a dry history, but a full-blooded narrative closer in style to a historical novel than to an academic study. * William Palmer Literary Review *
Milton's story could scarcely be more action-packed, and its setting and subsidiary characters are as fantastic as its events. * The Sunday Times *
An extraordinary story which few people will be at all familiar with... an exciting and sensational account of a really swash-buckling historical episode * Philip Hensher, Spectator *
Giles Milton's narrative races along as he stitches together a story of heroism, sacrifice and misplaced zeal, painstakingly researched from contemporary writing and records * Observer *
Giles Milton... has crafted an inspiration for those of us who believe that history can be exciting and entertaining * The Times *
Book Information
ISBN 9780340794708
Author Giles Milton
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint John Murray Publishers Ltd
Publisher John Murray Press
Weight(grams) 256g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 131mm * 21mm
