Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Merchant Seamen, Pirates and the Anglo-American Maritime World, 1700–1750

Very interesting.

Rediker is Professor of History at Pittsburgh University; his website describes him as historian and activist. This is a tremendous book based on research into an unlikely plethora of documentation. The mercantile world of the 18th century saw a polarisation of capital and labour that presaged the industrial revolution to come: free wage labour and authoritarian systems of control involving discipline and violence replaced paternalistic authority and emphasis on traditional rights. Labour was internationalised and collectivised. The ship was a mobile proto-factory and work was strongly differentiated. In an everyday context of danger, accidents, disease and a regime of ownership and control that went as far as to starve seamen in the interests of profit, sailors developed an anti-authoritarian culture of resistance that stressed egalitarianism, collective rights and the bonds of work - pirate communities represented an autonomous form of this. Packed full with interesting anecdote. An eye-opener.

Was your ancestor a merchant seaman? Maybe, a pirate? Rediker plumbed the depths of the Courts of Admiralty records to bring us great data to add to our family stories! His 5-page explanation of admiralty records and their importance illuminates another important, reliable source we can use in history and genealogy research. Appendices A-E list (A) age distributions of common seamen and officers; (B) growth of English trade in the era; (C) wages by job in the merchant shipping industry 1700-1750; (D) Literacy among those in the merchant shipping industry; (E) incidences of mutiny by ship during 1700-1750! Want to know the connections among Anglo-American pirates, 1714-1728? See p. 268 for the diagram, and then read the text and notes! This book is a true gem for historians and genealogists looking for data to improve their understanding of the merchant seaman world of 1700-1750. He also used diaries, travel accounts…WOW!

Much of the piracy covered in this book was given a more thorough examination in Rediker's "Villains of All Nations", but this book's scope is bigger than the "golden age" of Atlantic piracy. In the course of my pirate research, I found this book helpful to gain a more general understanding of the lives and working conditions of all sailors at that time, and the socio-economic forces shaping those lives. Along with Rediker's "Villains" and "Slave Ship", this book forms a powerful and horrifying critique of an era.

It's hard to find a detailed and well researched review of maritime culture, specifically when it comes to the lives of ordinary seaman. This is a good starting point!

I had to read this for class. It was a little long but I loved the pirate section.

Carefully researched, this book gives many many details about the lives of regular sailors on sailing ships... Their constant struggle for decent pay and livable working conditions is very relevant now, and we can learn a few things about teamwork and self respect from these men. A must for people writing about the Age of Sail