The Slave Ship: A Human History is a book by Marcus Rediker.
The book focuses on the slave ship after 1700 when Britain dominated the slave trade. [1] The book is 434 pages long and discusses the stories of the slaves as well as the sailors. [2] [3] The crew on slave ships were often left in the Americas because the captain didn't need them for the return journey and didn't want to pay them. [4] The book covers the 1775 Liverpool seamen's revolt. [5] There is a chapter focused on John Newton. [6] Another chapter focuses on James Field Stanfield. [7] The book draws on Olaudah Equiano's memoirs. [8] The book draws from a database compiled by a research team led by David Eltis of Emory University. [9]
The book received a starred review in Publishers Weekly which called the book "groundbreaking work". [10] Kirkus Reviews praised the book saying that "Rediker's dramatic presentation powerfully impresses." [11] In 2008, the book won the George Washington Book Prize. [12] [13]
A theatre play called "The Vast Machine" was created based on the book. [14] [15]
The audiobook version is narrated by David Drummond. [16]