{"product_id":"9780008141035","title":"Mr Atkinson’s Rum Contract: The Story of a Tangled Inheritance","description":"\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003eShortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2021\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e‘Rarely has family history been so vivid’ JENNY UGLOW\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e‘An extraordinarily original work’ AMANDA FOREMAN\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike many well-to-do Georgian families, the Atkinsons’ wealth was acquired at a terrible cost, through the labour and lives of enslaved Africans. Drawing on his ancestors’ private correspondence, Richard Atkinson pieces together their unsettling story, from the weather-beaten house in Cumbria where they once lived to the ruins of their sugar estates in Jamaica. This extraordinarily original work of detective biography is also a uniquely personal account of one of the most disturbing chapters in Britain’s colonial past.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis short-listed book is not just an autobiography, but a deep dive into the social science of the era, exploring the cultural and ethnic dynamics of the time. Atkinson's work is a testament to the power of genealogy and historical research, shedding light on the disturbing realities of slavery in the Caribbean and the West.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Anne Sebba (Ethel Rosenberg), Daisy Dunn (Not Far From Brideshead), Roger Hutchinson (Father Allan), and Catherine Belton (Putin’s People).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Richard Atkinson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46889465970837,"sku":"9780008141035","price":39.49,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/x145_6a157ada-1c85-493c-a208-f960d619d003.jpg?v=1769475476","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780008141035","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}