Long before recorded history, men, women and children had been seized by conquering tribes and nations to be employed or traded as slaves. Greeks, Romans, Vikings and Arabs were among the earliest of many peoples involved in the slave trade, and across Africa the buying and selling of slaves was widespread. There was, at the time, nothing unusual in Britain's somewhat belated entry into the slave trade, transporting natives from Africa's west coast to the plantations of the New World. What was unusual was Britain's decision, in 1807, to ban the slave trade throughout the British Empire. Britain later persuaded other countries to follow suit, but this did not stop this lucrative business. So the Royal Navy went to war against the slavers, in due course establishing the West Africa Squadron which was based at Freetown in Sierra Leone. This force grew throughout the nineteenth century until a sixth of the Royal Navy's ships and marines was employed in the battle against the slave trade. Between 1808 and 1860, the West Africa Squadron captured 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans. The slavers tried every tactic to evade the Royal Navy enforcers. Over the years that followed more than 1,500 naval personnel died of disease or were killed in action, in what was difficult and dangerous, and at times saddening, work. In Britain's War Against the Slave Trade, naval historian Anthony Sullivan reveals the story behind this little-known campaign by Britain to end the slave trade. Whereas Britain is usually, and justifiably, condemned for its earlier involvement in the slave trade, the truth is that in time the Royal Navy undertook a major and expensive operation to end what was, and is, an evil business.

A timely and splendidly illustrated global exploration of the complex intersections of fashion and politics from the mid-19th century to the present day

Taking a multifaceted look at a topic of widespread fascination, this pioneering book presents new research on the intersection of fashion and politics through incisive essays by the field's leading voices, including both renowned and emerging fashion scholars. The texts unpack fashion between the mid-19th century and today as expressions of nationalism, terrorism, surveillance, and individualism, as well as a symbol of capitalism.

The first section explores the political potential of fashion despite its immutable status as a commodity. The second section offers a historical account of the political nature of dress, such as the fashion of dissent within Mao's Cultural Revolution and the Black Panther movement. The ways bodies are defined by dress-the entanglement of oppression and expression-is the theme of the third section. A fourth and final section explores contemporary issues in the practice and theory of dress, from the processes of decolonizing museum collections to the recent sartorial styles of Europe's political Left. The book's incisive and beautifully illustrated essays provide a timely investigation of an underdeveloped topic through a variety of historical and current formats, including public and personal archives, fashion magazines, political newspapers, museum displays, art, and social media.

Pitching is about persuasion: radiating positivity, controlling the situation, winning an audience's trust, creating "fierce agreement," and getting them to want to give you what you're asking for. Written not just for a business audience, You Get What You Pitch For will approach the pitch as what it really is: a methodology for building productive, positive, mutually beneficial person-to-person interactions. Pitchman Anthony "Sully" Sullivan and co-author Tim Vandehey weave a lifetime of vivid stories and colorful characters, one-of-a-kind pitchman-lingo, and field-tested pitching techniques into an entertaining, practical, put-this-material-to-work-today user's manual for an extraordinary set of skills that millions of people can use to become the most confident, charismatic and powerful version of themselves. You Get What You Pitch For tackles common, real-life scenarios almost anyone can relate to, from handling disagreements, job interviews, making an important speech, getting funding, going after a promotion, and more.