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Giles Milton

White gold: the extraordinary story of Thomas Pellow and North Africa's one million European slaves Hardcover – January 1, 2004

by Giles MILTON (Author)

4.6 1,577 ratings

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White Gold: The Extraordinary Story of Thomas Pellow and North Africa's One Million European Slaves

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date

January 1, 2004
Dimensions

6.34 x 9.57 x 1.34 inches
ISBN-10

0340794690
ISBN-13

978-0340794692
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

1,577 global ratings

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The history of White Slavery few of us knew.

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023

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Having recently traveled to Morocco, our trip leader there recommended this book, and I'm so thankful that he did. It is the proverbial 'page turner ' and hard to put down once you start. We stopped for just a few hours in the Imperial City of Meknes, and having read the book and how central it is to the narrative, I wish I had known then what this story enlightened me to, and could have spent more time there with this knowledge. It's at once an incredible tale of survival by the protagonist, Thomas Pellow, who was only ten years old when he and the crew of his uncle's ship, having sailed from England, were captured and sold into slavery by the infamous Barbary Pirates, and his tale of 23 years in captivity, surviving against incredible odds, is the backbone of this amazing narrative. Highly recommended!!

2 people found this helpful

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Laura J. Cremmins

Slavery STILL alive in dar lslam-OPEN YOUR EYES!

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2005

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I was amazed at the number of readers who were unaware of islams' ENTIRE history of slavery. Type 'camel jockeys' into your browser to see pictures of TODAYS children who are sold into slavery RIGHT NOW. Starved to be kept light weight and many times left with crushed gentilia from being tied onto the camels while they race or trampled to death if they fall off. All for the amusement of the 'nobility' in the Gulf States. Remember these 'princes' were desert raiders as late as the 1910's!

How about the thousands of young girls Saddam bought in Thailand as whores for his troops during the Kuwait invasion. Not one remained alive to tell the tale.

Until the world removes the blinders from their eyes and checks out the REAL facts about what the so called 'religion of peace, islam' is hiding in regards to slavery TODAY these poor people will remain in slavery. There are many excellent books that give specific facts, dates and names, "Slave Girls" by Clarkson,

"Enslaved" by Gordon Thomson are about NOW to name two. Remain ignorant to your own peril.It could be your child that is stolen and sold next.

31 people found this helpful

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Stephen Winterton

Interesting and chilling history

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023

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Well told. Wish there was more to the epilogue, but historical sources may not be available.

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Reviewer

Entertaining and Informative Story of A Forgotten Tragedy

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2007

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Milton uses the story of Thomas Pellow, a cabin boy enslaved by Muslims at age 12 and finally returning to Cornwall 23 years later, as a framework overview of the Muslim slave trade - which preyed on European Christians as far away as the coasts of Iceland and Cornwall.

It's an exciting read, a proverbial 'page turner', and a perfect blend of story telling and history. Milton masterfully interweaves backstory and general history with Pellow's saga. I would hate to use another cliche...but I really couldn't put it down!

Its a shame the WP post reviewer uses it as excuse to vent his political views, and browbeat us with nonsense about 'Orientalism', I would highly recommend this book as an introduction to an all but forgotten part of our history (Yes Alsan, us, as in European Christians). I imagine like Aslan are afraid of this book because the indisputable facts shatter their victim status, and takes away a 'tool' by which to guilt-trip Europeans and Americans. After all if we were 'victims' of slavery, all the sudden 'imperialism' and 'white privilege' lose their sting.

A few examples of Aslan's bias:

"in which his 11-year-old self patiently endures month after month of horrific torture, administered by the crown prince himself, with whom Pellow remarkably engages in a quasi-theological debate (in Arabic or English, one can't tell which) before finally submitting to Islam -- is so absurd that the reader is stunned to find Milton swallowing the tale whole."

Milton specifically points out that Pellow was an exceptionally bright lad in school - and back in the 17th/18th century someone educated his age (11) would have had a firm grasp of theology ("college" students usually graduated at age 18 or so) in an age where a century later 12 year old future Admiral Farragut would skipper a ship around cape horn its not inconceivable a boy might know a thing or two about theology. It is also documented and corroborated the Pellow rose to high service at young age because of his intelligence. Yet Aslan sneers it's 'absurd' but offers no reason why. Nor does he offer any reason why corroborated stories of Ismail's evil and brutality should not be accepted. He apparently wants us to feel 'wrong' for believing that a man who practiced mass slavery and perfectly willing to murder half brothers (a common occurrence in Muslim royal families) could be brutal.

"That White Gold merely regurgitates Pellow's "memoirs" is even more troubling because Milton enthusiastically adopts the outmoded vocabulary of the era, repeatedly referring in his book to "Christian" slaves and even "Christian" vessels being captured by "Muslim" pirates and sold to "Muslim" masters"

Well Aslan they would only enslave Christians and non Muslims, defined themselves as Muslim and the Koran specifically allowed slavery, where at the same time, anti-slavery movements were taking root in Christendom, if I am 'allowed' to use that 'dated' term.

Why the Washington Post chose this guy to review the book remains a mystery - but they clearly wanted a negative review.

27 people found this helpful

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Amos Spitalhatch

Why wasn't this taught in History at school?

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2023

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I fully expected this book to be dry and largely a catalogue of dates and statistics, but I had only a very vague knowledge of the White Slave Trade and wanted to learn more about it. It turned out to be one of those books that keep you up at night, reluctant to put it down until you find out what happened next.
The author is skilful - his style is such that you are not aware of the printed words, only of the action. And the action: a combination of Star Trek and Star Wars all wrapped up in an historical setting from Hornblower.
If this had been taught at school, I would have paid a lot more attention!

15 people found this helpful

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CDP's Onceagain habit of purchasing

White Gold: The Forgotten Story of North Africa's European Slaves Hardcover by Giles Milton (Author)

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2014

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I now have read about half of White Gold: The Forgotten Story of North Africa's European Slaves Hardcover by Giles Milton and find it very interesting and well delivered. The story is a study of letters and biographical information from those who's time as slaves was made know to others of the time in their own descriptions of how they were taken and treated by their captors and masters. If you think only America struggled with slavery, read how Europeans were captured from their own homeland and taken into slavery by Corsairs and the Pirates of the time funded and encourage by the Sultan and leaders of Morocco. Worth the used price of $4.65 with delivery included in this cost. A keeper in my library.

5 people found this helpful

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Davor

Good read

Reviewed in Canada on December 12, 2023

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A little dry. Overall, a good and informative read on the slavery of white people.

Hank Norville Carter

Giles Milton on Top Form.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2023

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I've been a fan of Giles Milton since reading Samurai William, about twenty years ago. The wonderfully readable exploration of William Adams - the inspiration for Richard Chamberlain's character in Shogun, reminded why I preferred history to fiction "Fiction must make sense". In Milton's Nathaniel's Nutmeg I discovered that the English took New York, then New Amsterdam, in retaliation [partially] for losing the Indonesian island of Run to the Dutch. A large proportion of the worlds nutmeg was grown there and the Dutch were determined to monopolise the spice trade. A situation that led to the area being called the Dutch East Indies for 250 years. I'm less inclined towards Milton's more recent books because they focus on the 20th Century but Russian Roulette, which describes how a motley crew of English upper class patriots pretty much created MI6 for a lark. One of their first missions was to silence Rasputin from encouraging Tsarina Alexandra with his antiwar sentiments. They were so successful that British involvement in the murder remained secret for over 90 years.

White Gold. I was reluctant to read this because so many right wing types tend to mention the forced enslavement of Europeans by Muslims, or Irish indentured servitude in the USA (which they often incorrectly equate to chattel slavery) as some kind of justification for the transatlantic slave trade. At first I ordered the audiobook but only a 3 hour 9 minute long abridged version is available. It was great but I needed the full experience, just as the author intended. I read it within a few days, it's one of those reads that you cannot put down, even when the words start to blur in front of eyes desperately needing sleep.
I needn't have worried about any crypto-fascist undertones. This book doesn't contain a single sentence that could be thought to apologise, justify or trivialise the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. The racial views of Thomas Pellow (the main character, an enslaved Cornishman) are massively politically incorrect, despite him spending years married to a Sub-Saharan wife and fathering mix-raced children. The loss of them, to disease, undoubtedly grieved him but he could never shake off the indoctrinated tribalism which caused him to consider whites, and himself, a little more evolved than the darker races.

I actually felt a twinge of guilt for ever doubting that Giles Milton would provide this story without handing ideological ammo to the apologists for slavery and various other racial supremacy groups. I've been reading, and loving, the forgotten gems of history rediscovered by this amazing author for two decades and not once has he shown even the shadow of a hint that he supports any kind of political extremism. But in post-Brexit Britain, with fascism seeming to return to respectability all over the world, I feel justified for being extra careful to never condone this dangerous new wave of autocrats and scumbags.

Five stars. Equal to Milton's very best - but not better. I doubt it would be possible to create better than Samurai William or Russian Roulette. But I wish he'd leave the 20th Century (especially the WWII stuff) and return to finding forgotten tales, from distant times and places, that will once more surprise, fascinate and entertain his readers - and me.

7 people found this helpful

Reinaldo Leandro

ÓTIMO LIVRO - Todos deveriam ler

Reviewed in Brazil on January 30, 2021

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O livro traz informações imprescindíveis para se entender o fenômeno da escravidão branca, tratada como tabu no Brasil. Aqui nos fazem acreditar que apenas negros eram escravizados por causa da sua cor de pele, sendo que na verdade, QUALQUER UM poderia se tornar cativo no passado, principalmente entre os séculos XIV e XIX.

Milhões de europeus eram capturados e vendidos na África e Oriente Médio ao mesmo tempo que os negros eram trazidos pra cá, porem, antes que algum intelectualmente limitado venha me acusar de justificar o trafico negreiro porque brancos também eram perseguidos, já adianto que estudando o tema, veremos que cor de pele nunca foi o fator primordial para justificar a perseguição aos negros, e sim porque a África já possuía um milenar mercado de escravos e já havia toda uma estrutura montada pelos reinos muçulmanos que abasteciam essas mortais redes de comercio. A questão é justamente mostrar que todos os povos sofreram com isso e não se deixarem levar por políticas baratas de sensacionalismo emocional que visam apenas aprisionar a mente do cidadão com mentiras e paranoias.

Enfim, este é apenas um de muitos livros disponíveis na Amazon sobre o tema e todos deveriam ler. Aqueles que não tem domínio do inglês, podem usar o google tradutor do celular. O processo é simples, basta abrir o app, acionar sua câmera, e mandar traduzir a pagina. Um procedimento que dura apenas alguns segundos mas pode lhe ajudar a adquirir um grande conhecimento.

Só não dei cinco estrelas porque o anuncio oferece uma capa e me entregaram outra, porem o conteúdo é o mesmo.

4 people found this helpful

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Ravi

Real life can be as interesting or more so than stories

Reviewed in India on August 30, 2020

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What a story - truly extraordinary. This book opens a new facet of history which most of us are unaware of. The trading of European slaves in North Africa.
You see the era through Thomas Pellow's eyes - the author has done deep research and has a way of story telling which leaves the reader spellbound. Must read for amateur history fans.

EWW

History brought to life.

Reviewed in Germany on October 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

I read this book during my first stay in Morocco in order to get a feeling of the history of the country. It concentrates mainly on the harrowing tale of Thomas Pellow, who was a slave for 23 years to the Sultan Mulaay Ismail. The era is vividly brought to life in this book and the story so full of desperation, suspence, drama, twists & turns and ups & downs that it renders you speechless and full of awe at the will to survive this young child/man evidently had. A few sentences of what bacame of him after his return to England went amiss but maybe this is not documented historically.

The unbelieveable brutality of the Sultan, whose captive Thomas Pellows and tens of thousands others were, is also very well described and illustrated verbally. I don't believe any author or Hollywood script writer could come up with a story more fantastical than this true story.

Defintely worth reading!

2 people found this helpful

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