Henry Smeathman, the Flycatcher: Natural History, Slavery, and Empire in the Late Eighteenth Century

by Deirdre Coleman

In 1771 Joseph Banks and other wealthy collectors sent a talented, self-taught naturalist to Sierra Leone to collect all things rare and curious, from moths to monkeys. Henry Smeathman's expedition to the West African coast, which coincided with a steep rise in British slave trading in this area, lasted four years during which time he built a house on the Banana Islands, married into the coast's ruling dynasties, and managed to negotiate the tricky...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1786940531
• ISBN13: 9781786940537
• Release Date: June 2018
• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.3"