The Two Princes of Calabar: An Eighteenth-Century Atlantic Odyssey

by Randy J. Sparks

In 1767, two “princes” of a ruling family in the port of Old Calabar, on the slave coast of Africa, were ambushed and captured by English slavers. The princes, Little Ephraim Robin John and Ancona Robin Robin John, were themselves slave traders who were betrayed by African competitors―and so began their own extraordinary odyssey of enslavement. Their story, written in their own hand, survives as a rare firsthand account of the Atlantic slave experience.

Randy J. Sparks made the remarkable discovery of the princes’ correspondence and has managed to reconstruct their adventures from it. They were transported from the coast of Africa to Dominica, where they were sold to a French physician. By employing their considerable language and interpersonal skills, they cleverly negotiated several escapes that took them from the Caribbean to Virginia, and to England, but always ended in their being enslaved again. Finally, in England, they sued for, and remarkably won, their freedom. Eventually, they found their way back to Old Calabar and, evidence suggests, resumed their business of slave trading.

The Two Princes of Calabar offers a rare glimpse into the eighteenth-century Atlantic World and slave trade from an African perspective. It brings us into the trading communities along the coast of Africa and follows the regular movement of goods, people, and ideas across and around the Atlantic. It is an extraordinary tale of slaves’ relentless quest for freedom and their important role in the creation of the modern Atlantic World.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School, College, Africa, World History, American History

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2004

Reviews

[lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

I read this book for a class on the Atlantic world. It was alright, I just think it overpromises in the beginning. I expected this book to rely almost entirely upon the letters written by the Robin Johns' because of the description of them in the Prologue, but the book was mostly speculative and spent more time contextualizing the slave trade (which is not bad, just not what I was expecting).

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little micro-history, especially helpful in giving life and depth to Africans in slave-trading communities of the Gold Coast. One of the first histories I've seen that makes 18th-century Africans more than faceless, theoretical people. And Methodists play a cool role, too!

[Ashley Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only rating this three stars because I had to read it for class and I don't really have many opinions on it😅 However, that might change later

But, this was actually a really interesting story. I had never heard of these two 'Princes" before or of Calabar.

[Dutchermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was considering this book as a monograph for students in lower or upper level undergraduate history courses, including U.S. History to 1877, World History since 1500 and History of the Atlantic World. It would be most appropriate for the latter. The first two chapters were not as engaging as the last three. Maps throughout the text would have helped with comprehension. An image of some of the original documents described/transcribed in the text would also have been interesting. The description of the Middle Passage in chapter 3 is strong.

[Robert Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for one of my classes. What I expected it to be was far from what it ended up being. In a few ways this appeared to me a fault but in most an unexpected gift.
I had not heard the Robin John’s story before picking up this book nor any other Atlantic slave accounts, given only a few survive. It has been an interest of mine to become better informed on the subject and for that I am appreciative of this book.
Sparks did a fantastic job at writing this towards non-academics who specialize in this information. While cramming me full of information and knowledge it was in an accessible and enjoyable way.
The book could do with more references such as maps for clarity, pictures of original documents, etc. the last few chapters of this book were the strongest, starting at our introduction to Methodism.

[Jindřich Zapletal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an informative, scholarly, and concise book on the triangular trade of the second half of 18th century, with emphasis on African agency. Not to repeat what the other reviewers say, here is my impression:

Once upon a time, two slave traders fell to slavery themselves by treachery of other slave traders. After a long while, they found their way to a home of prominent British abolitionists, who offered them shelter, educated them, converted them to Methodist Christian faith, even sued for and won their freedom. After all these adventures, our slave trading princes went home and started trading slaves again. And that, sweet kids, is the end of the tale.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offered a different perspective on the Slave Trade of the eighteenth century. Stretching from the slave traders in West Africa to the enslaved in the Americans to the fight for abolition in England, the story shows the African involvement of the slave system that was set up. It reads as a mix between a novel and a history book, pulling evidence and quotes from a lot of letters and documents from that time.

[Sylvie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by one of the professors I am working with on a world history textbook. Definitely easier reading than my last book on West Africa and the slave trade, but a good follow-up in the sense that this firsthand account of the Atlantic slave experience illuminates much of what I learned in that book. A lot of historical context is provided by the author, but the big attraction here is reading this context as it relates to the personal story of these two brothers.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

See Thomas' review.

In the 1760s Africans participated in the slave trade which was so lucrative to other countries. This little historical novel provides a behind the scenes look at the motivations of the trade in general and the complications of sea travel at the time. Contains 30 pp of bibliography.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for an assignment for a West African History class. Definitely an intriguing read about the slave trade, particularly about an interesting case of two men who were kidnapped, enslaved, freed, and made it back to Calabar.

[Sophia Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book was hard to follow at some points, I thought that it was a necessary read because not many books that describe the Atlantic Slave Trade (from the African perspective) are as concise as this was.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for my Masters Slavery in the Americas course. Found it enlightening, but obviously not the common experience for those enslaved. It does provide insight to the inter workings of the slave trade.

[Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

another book i was forced to pick up for a class, but in all honesty, it was pretty good. the story is very interesting and is able to go into a lot of details about slave trade at the time in africa, the americas, and england. it's honestly really comprehensive while still being easy to read.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assigned reading for an African history class. It's a fantastic and interesting read.

[Olivia Russo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I love a good historical journey story and this was just that. It definitely helped me educate myself more on the slave trade and inspire more research.

[Ruby Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I read it when I was thirteen for fun and it was an interesting perspective that was incredibly well researched.

[Matthew Hendricks]

Very informative

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite unique in it's more detailed look on African elites participating in the slave trade. Really enjoyed the narrow perspective and focus on a few key individuals

[bored reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good; digestible language and the author keeps his writing/the info relevant. Short but quality work

[Charles Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, I guess. Don't like / agree with the definition or use here of the word "creolization" in the work.

[Annaleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A living book about slavery for 8th grade and above.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it was an ok read. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It was an interesting story about an incredibly rare event of two literate Princes of Calabar finding their way back to Africa despite their slavery. What an amazing discovery and invaluable contribution to history and the understanding of slavery. I will give it that.

[Andrew Detch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine work that displays both the positives and negatives of micro-history. Sparks argues that the story of two African "princes" captured by British slave traders during a massacre off the coast of Old Calabar in 1767 provides insight into the complexities of the eighteenth-century Atlantic World while also infusing the admittedly Eurocentric Atlantic historiography with a much needed African perspective. He deftly illustrates how the slave trade touched every corner of the Atlantic World, which was a space infused with a variety of social, cultural, religious, and economic relationships that led to daily lives that were guided by oft-invisible forces. While many of his insights are quite topical, he puts together a concise story that makes great use of two exceptional characters much as Jon Sensbach does in his work on black Christianity in the Atlantic world.

Sparks does the best he can with the sources available to him, but calling this a history from an African perspective is a bit overstated. His strongest chapters are actually his final two, which barely include the captive brothers at all. In addition, his writing style often makes the narrative unnecessarily confusing as evidenced in part by his tendency to overuse "traders" when referring to both African and English slave traders. Nevertheless, this concise text will prove useful in courses hoping to introduce the Atlantic world to undergraduate and graduate students alike.

[Rojo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this for my Modern Africa class (dealing with mostly sub-Saharan Africa), I was told that this book would be part textbook-part narrative. What I didn't expect it to be was confusing as hell. The names of all those involved in the story of the Robin Johns and even the Robin Johns themselves, became a bit of a problem when trying to write my paper and keep the facts straight.

But as a textbook, it was very informative and gave quite the different perspective of the Atlantic slave trade, coming from African traders, themselves. It was something that I had not heard of (though I did know that there were African traders), and though there were moments of frustration with the fact that the Robin Johns returned to the slave trade, it was an interesting book.

[Susie Rohrbough · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a novice to reading about the slave trade, I found Sparks use of primary sources enlightening. The details from the letters of the captured Princes with correspondence from others illuminated a sickening commerce. Details of ships, crews, captured, ports of call, and markets opened my eyes. The author weaves the details not quite flawlessly but with care to make sure the reader is aware when conjecture is required to fill in blanks.
A single event, the massacre of 1767 in Calabar in which two African Princes are stolen, reverberates through England and religious society for 30 years until the practice of hauling human kidnapping victims is forbidden on Englush ships.
I have a fuller understanding of the mechanisms of slave trade was accomplished and by whom.

[Shaun · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this expecting...well expecting something else. This wasn’t it. It felt off and unauthentic. Lots of guess work done in the collection of this history. Not even sure how accurate this is. If you’re gonna fill in some (lots of) blanks, at least make them entertaining.

[Tyler Goble · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very solid monograph on the Atlantic slave trade in the 18th century. It's one of the books required for my HY 325 class. "Two Princes of Calabar" is less than 150 pages so it's a fairly quick read but I only give it 4 stars because it's burdened with so much detail into the slave trade and colonial life and not so much the story of the Prince Johns whom the book is supposedly about. With that said, it's well-written, well-researched, and it is still worth reading! 4 stars.

[Mary Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story giving good insight into the involvement of Africans in the slave trade world. But, I'm not a fan of the writing. Too scattered. Doesn't quite live up to the title of "Odyssey." A little too much blah blah history and not enough adventure. Overall, the book is ok.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

An account detailing the atlantic slave trade, mostly from an african perspective. Very ambitious though somewhat impersonal.

[Macyn Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

poop !!