Yankee India: American Commercial and Cultural Encounters with India in the Age of Sail 1784-1860, by Susa n S. Bean (Peabody Essex Museum & M apin Pub!. , Salem MA, 2001 , 288 pp , notes, index, fSBN 81-85822-83 -2; $40h c) Yankee India is that rares t of co ffeetable books-equally at home in th e library as the living room . It is a well told, fasc inatin g read-also a joy to skim for the images, many rendered in full color. S usa n Bea n , cur ato r of So uth As ian and Korean Art and C ulture at Salem 's Peabody Essex Museum, has plumbed the depths of th at institution's vast collection of ships' logs and captains' journals to piece together the story of American maritime commerce with India between 1784 and 1860 . T old chronologically through five time periods, Bean introduces each with a general historical overview and an introduction of the captains and supercargos (agents who purchased and sold goods, representing the business side of the ship's mission) whose journals she scrutinized. Why America-India in the Age of Sail ? States Bean, "In the first decades after Independence, this commerce played a significant role in American life. [It] generated federal tax revenue, helped relieve wa r d ebts, and raised capital to build up nascent industries ." That trade, socially and culturally, provided the young United States "a w indow beyond the world of Europe." Bean no tes that in the years surrounding the turn of the century, American trade with India exceeded that of all continental E u ro pe pu t together. Historic development of maritime comm erce can be better understood and perso nalized through journals written by individuals on board these trading vessels. Bean includes excerpts from Massachusetts supercargos Benjamin Carpenter (b. 1751 ) and William A. Rogers (b.1 792), who provided first-hand details of Indi an coastal p ilo ting and business practices. Carpenter, for example, revealed the value of whale oil in Calcutta compared to American prices and advised fellow traders regarding pro toco l to ga in favo rabl e relationships with fo reign co ntacts . Rogers' s journal is a commercial guide and travel log strewn with bitin g geopolitical analysis. In his writings,
SEA HISTORY 105, AUTUMN 2003
he takes the English to tas k for their rule of Ceylon and India. Bean reminds readers of Yankee India, "America's encounter with India in the age of sail brought wealth , adventure, and experi ence of cultural difference," whi ch impacted both societi es. She sketches a macrohistory, while her journalists fill in the details. T he book also reminds us of a remote pas t with implica tion s fo r th e imm edi ate prese nt to uching everything from what constitutes ethical behav ior in internati onal trade to the pitfalls of "nation building."
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Atlantic: The Last Great Race ofPrinces, by Scott Cookman Qohn Wiley & So ns, Inc., N ew York NY, 2002, 298 pp , illus, notes, appen, index, ISBN 0-47 1-4 1076-4; $24. 95hc) It is the dawn of the ce ntury, the Dow Jones Industrial is nearing an all-time high, and a dictator is challenging for world domination. T he yea r is 1905; the stock exchange is about to break one hundred, and the wo rld leader is Germany's Wi Ihelm II. This is the backd rop for Scott Cookman 's A tlantic: The Last Great Race ofPrinces that brin gs to life the sto ry of the Kaiser C up. In the early 20th century, the head of the G erman Empire wished to prove his nation's maritime superiority. H e had already challenged the British by constructing the super liner Deutsch/and and was preparing to enter in to a naval arms race. To show off the skills of th e Germ an mariner, he proposed a trans-Atlantic sailing race. Cookman brings to life the characters involved in the event, including the first woman to participate in an ocean race, and some of the greatest yacht skippers in history, particularly the colorful C harlie Barr. Also, a secondary cas t of characters makes each of the eleve n vessels partaking in the race umque. A tlantic is beautifully written and engrosses the reader by using the race's narrative to portray the world on the eve of the First World W ar, the 1929 stock market crash, and the Great D epression. For maritime enthusiasts the book is a must-read, and for histori ans it provides a unique perspective into the world of the early 20th
by William L.H Scarratt $49.95 ISBN 0-9674826-8-2 This book traces the careers of two merchant mariners and a t}pical "tramp" sailing vessel of the late 19th and early 2Qch centuries. Drawing upon numerous primary sources, the author presents a methodical yet altogether personal history, which is further enhanced by the inclusion of maps and period photographs.
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Also available: high-quality facsimile reproductions, faithfully replicating the original text and art in hardcover.
The Life of Nelson $89.95 ISBN 0-9674826-2-3
Robert Blake $69.95 ISBN 0-9674826-1-5
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