Tempest

“James Davey’s well-researched book offers much on the political commitment of some sailors and on the degree to which warships had become a political space. . . . His book is interesting throughout and deserving of attention.”—Jeremy Black, New Criterion

“This magnificent book really lifts the lid on the sailing navy at war, for the 1790s were indeed tempestuous years. James Davey presents intricate, powerful evidence from a very wide range of sources. This book puts into context the recent contentious arguments between historians about impressment and mutiny. It will recalibrate the historical debate.”—Roger Knight, author of Convoys

“This book breaks new ground. Well researched and readable, it firmly links the naval mutinies of the revolutionary 1790s to shore-based insurgency, while its international reach also allows it to take in the revolts of enslaved Africans in the West Indies.”—Margarette Lincoln, author of London and the Seventeenth Century

“Erudite, balanced, innovative, and based on deep engagement with the sources, Tempest recovers sailors’ voices and listens to them carefully. In the process, it offers an impressively lucid case for the relevance of the late eighteenth-century Navy to British history—and to the present.”—Sara Caputo, author of Foreign Jack Tars