She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen by Katie Hickman

She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen by Katie Hickman

An extraordinary and illuminating book that tells the incredible stories of the first British women to set foot in India - 250 years before the Raj.

Sharply observed, snappily written and thoroughly researched, She Merchants provides a fabulous panorama of a largely ignored area of social historyKatie Hickman successfully challenges the stereotype of the snobbish, matron-like memsahib by deploying a riveting gallery of powerful and often eccentric women ranging from stowaways and runaways through courtesans and society beauties to Generals' feisty wives and Viceroys' waspish sisters. It is full of surprises and new material and completely engaging from beginning to end -- William Dalrymple
Absolutely brilliant . . . remarkable women, until now almost unknown. I was so gripped I couldn't put it down -- Antonia Fraser
Goes beneath the surface of imperial male history . . . a cast of extraordinary women. Wonderful -- Anita Anand
Fascinating . . . I was swept along by Hickman's concise chapters and her crisp, wry style * The Times *
Thrilling tales of some of our wild colonial women . . . There have been other studies of the British memsahibs but none so focused on the adventurous and unconventional, and none more conscientiously researched, historically sound and compellingly written. An excellent book -- John Keay * Evening Standard *
[A] fascinating and informative book -- Virginia Nicholson * Sunday Times *
[A] colourful, witty and elegantly written new perspective on British India through the eyes of some of the women who were there . . . Hickman gives us a wealth of entertaining details * Daily Mail *
Rich in detail and full of astonishing stories * Country Life *
Hickman deftly negotiates the shifting politics of time and place . . . Hickman has a novelist's touch -- Jane Robinson * Times Literary Supplement *
A welcome corrective to Raj-dominated, male-heavy histories of Britain's relationship with India * History Revealed *
Eye-popping and extremely readable -- Jenny Colgan * Spectator *
A history of the bolshy, pioneering British women who sailed for India * The Times *

Katie Hickman is the author of eight books, including two bestselling works of non-fiction, Daughters of Britannia - in the Sunday Times bestseller lists for ten months and a twenty part series for BBC Radio 4 - and Courtesans. She has also written a trilogy of historical novels - The Aviary Gate, The Pindar Diamond and The House of Bishopgate - which have been translated into twenty languages. Her other books include two highly acclaimed travel books, including Travels with a Mexican Circus which was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.

Born into a diplomatic family, she had a peripatetic childhood, growing up in Spain, Ireland, Singapore and South America; she has two children and lives in London.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780349008257
ISBN 10	0349008256
Title	She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen
Author	Katie Hickman
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Little, Brown Book Group
Year published	2019-05-02
Number of pages	400
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.