James Walvin

Author of Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity

39+ Works 864 Members 11 Reviews

About the Author

James Walvin is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Professor Emeritus at the University of York, and formerly a Visiting Fellow at Yale University. His books include Black Ivory: Slavery in the British Empire, 2E (2001); The Trader, The Owner, The Slave: Parallel Lives in the Age of show more Slavery (2007); A Short History of Slavery (2007); Britain's Slave Empire (2008); The Zong: A Massacre, the Law and the End of Slavery (2011); The Slave Trade (2011); and Crossings: Africa, the Americas and the Atlantic Slave Trade (2013). show less

Includes the names: Walvin, James, Professor James Walvin, Professor James Walvin

Works by James Walvin

Popular Recent

Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity (2017) — Author — 110 copies, 2 reviews

Black Ivory: Slavery in the British Empire (1992) 109 copies, 2 reviews

The Quakers: Money and Morals (1997) 76 copies, 1 review

Atlas of Slavery (2005) 54 copies, 2 reviews

Freedom: The Overthrow of the Slave Empires (2019) 53 copies, 1 review

The Trader, The Owner, The Slave: Parallel Lives in the Age of Slavery (2007) 49 copies, 1 review

The Zong: A Massacre, the Law and the End of Slavery (2011) 48 copies

A Short History of Slavery (2007) 39 copies

Victorian Values (1987) 33 copies, 1 review

The Slave Trade (History Files) (1999) 31 copies

A World Transformed: Slavery in the Americas and the Origins of Global Power (2022) 25 copies

Questioning Slavery (1996) 22 copies

An African's Life: The Life and Times of Olaudah Equiano, 1745-1797 (The Black Atlantic Series) (1998) 20 copies

Slavery in Small Things: Slavery and Modern Cultural Habits (2016) 19 copies, 1 review

The People's Game: History of Football Revisited (Mainstream Sport) (1975) 15 copies

England, slaves, and freedom, 1776-1838 (1986) 14 copies

A Child's World: A Social History of English Childhood, 1800-1914 (Pelican) (1982) 14 copies

A Jamaican plantation: the history of Worthy Park, 1670-1970 (1970) 13 copies

Slavery and British Society, 1776-1846 (1982) 12 copies

Slavery and the Slave Trade: A Short Illustrated History (1983) 11 copies

Making the Black Atlantic: Britain and the African Diaspora (2000) 10 copies

Amazing Grace: A Cultural History of the Beloved Hymn (2023) 10 copies

Crossings: Africa, the Americas and the Atlantic Slave Trade (2013) 8 copies

Britain's Slave Empire (2000) 7 copies

Passage to Britain (Pelican) (1984) 6 copies

Fruits of Empire: Exotic Produce and British Taste, 1660-1800 (1997) 6 copies

The Only Game: Football in Our Times (2001) 6 copies

English Urban Life, 1776-1851 (Hutchinson University Library) (1984) 6 copies

Slavery to Freedom: Britain's Slave Trade and Abolition (Pitkin Guides) (2007) 6 copies

Slavery: The history and legacy of one of the world’s most brutal institutions (All you need to know) (2018) 5 copies

Freedom: The Overthrow of the Slave Empires (2020) 5 copies

Leisure and Society, 1830-1950 (1978) 5 copies

Black and White: Negro and English Society, 1555-1945 (1973) 5 copies

Slaves and slavery : the British colonial experience (1992) 3 copies

The Black presence;: A documentary history of the Negro in England, 1555-1860 (Sourcebooks in Negro history) (1972) 3 copies

Different Times: Growing Up in Post-War England (2014) 2 copies

The Life and Times of Henry Clarke of Jamaica, 1828-1907 (1994) 2 copies

Football and the decline of Britain (1986) 1 copy

Beside the Seaside (1978) 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

The Black Jacobins (1938) — Editor, some editions — 1,500 copies, 23 reviews

Anti-slavery, religion, and reform : essays in memory of Roger Anstey (1980) — Contributor — 4 copies

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19th century (6) aa-interest-to-read (3) Africa (7) African Americans (5) african-diaspora-interest (3) American history (3) black history (4) Britain (6) British (4) British history (11) business (5) Caribbean (8) England (8) enslavement (7) food (7) food history (5) football (9) Great Britain (4) history (100) HistoryHistorical (4) imperialism (3) non-fiction (30) politics (4) pre-20th century history (3) Quaker history (11) Quakers (5) Quakers in business (4) race (5) religion (5) science (4) slave trade (9) slavery (81) social history (6) sociology (7) sport (5) sugar (11) to-read (25) USA (3) Victorian (4) West Indies (4)

Common Knowledge

Gender: male

Members

Reviews

Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity by James Walvin

This book is an amazing history of cane sugar, with a few mentions of beet sugar and high fructose corn syrup, and their effects up to modern times, including massive childhood dental decay in Britain and the U.S. and beyond. Millions of Africans were enslaved and shipped to Brazil and the Caribbean just for this one backbreaking crop so that Europeans could indulge in that sweet taste. The more slaves imported, the lower the price, and the more sugar spread across the globe. And the sugar cane crops also spread to many countries, doing great harm to the environment.

Some of the criticisms of other reviewers were valid, but more details would have created a much longer book. As an overview, it was quite informative.

I've been off sugar for ~10 years and don't miss it. But other family members cannot resist. It is like a drug. And I have to sit back and watch their obesity increase every year as they and their peer groups succumb to the Big Food corporations. It takes courage and intention to avoid the barrage of junk food ads and colorful products in the stores. I can do it, but most people cannot, especially the young.

Okay, off my soap box.

This book is highly recommended.… (more)

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casey2962 | 1 other review | Dec 16, 2024 |

The Quakers : money and morals by James Walvin

Starting as a persecuted sect, the Quakers excluded outsiders and maintained a steady vigilance over each other’s affairs. Theirs was an ideal climate for business; they helped and trusted each other, minimizing financial risk. By this means they became a power in the land, and permanently changed the landscape of banking and business in Britain.

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PendleHillLibrary | Jul 12, 2022 |