The Sugar Barons: Family, Corruption, Empire, and War in the West Indies

"The Sugar Barons: Family, Corruption, Empire and War in the West Indies: all of that and more" according to Natacha Pelaez Wagner. An excellently written and well researched account of the development of the sugar empires in the new world in the 1600 and 1700s, and the European wars for its dominance. While very educational and informative, it flows well and is not textbook-like or . "and does a great job of providing perspective and analysis of the trade" according to N. Pass. This book is very well detailed. Parker definitely did his research, and does a great job of providing perspective and analysis of the trade, and the complexities between the models of the Spanish, English, Dutch, etc. I really liked that he included so . Good job explaining economic interconnections Amazon Customer Parker's book does a really good job of relating the interconnection between sugar and empire. There was a lot more trade and migration between Barbados and BNA than you would have thought. A death certificate at Black Rock of a woman who died in 1843 li

. He is the author of Panama Fever, the story of the building of the Panama Canal, and Monte Cassino: The Hardest Fought Battle of World War II. Matthew Parker was born in Central America and spent part of his childhood in the West Indies, acquiring a lifelong fascination with the history of the region. Visit his website at matthewparker. He lives in London

Parker tells an extraordinary, neglected and shameful story with gusto.""--The Economist " "Gripping.A compendium of greed, horrible ingenuity, and wickedness, but also a fascinating and thoughtful social history." - William Dalrymple, author of "The Last Mughal" and "Nine Lives" "A minutely detailed portrait of one corner of Britain's constantly illuminated empire." - "Booklist ""A rich, multifaceted account of the greed and slavery bolstering the rise of England's mercantile empire." - "Kirkus ""Successful both as a scholarly introduction to the topic and as an entertaining narrative, this is recommended for readers of any kind of history." - "Library Journal""Thi

Yet that image conceals a turbulent and shocking history. For some two hundred years after 1650, the West Indies were the strategic center of the Western world's greatest power struggles as Europeans made and lost immense fortunes growing and trading in sugar-a commodity so lucrative it became known as "white gold." Matthew Parker vividly chronicles how the wealth of her island colonies became the foundation and focus of England's commercial and imperial greatness, underpinning the British economy and ultimately fueling the Industrial Revolution. Yet with the incredible wealth came untold misery: the horror endured by slaves, on whose backs