Tobacco Coast: A Maritime History of Chesapeake Bay in the Colonial Era

by Arthur Pierce Middleton

Tobacco Coast is the history of how the Chesapeake Bay shaped the society and economy of an ertire region. Its hundreds of miles of navigable tributaries made adoption of the tobacco staple possible and eliminated the necessity of cities and towns; its physical dominance created an "essencial unity" of lands sharing its shores, despite the political decisions that created separate colonies of Maryland and Virgina. Middleton recaptures the peril faced by the early colonists (Father Andrew White, who arrived in the Ark , wrote that "all the Sprights and witches of Maryland" seemed arrayed in battle against the ship whn violent storms struck off the coast) and traces how the sttlers persevered and the colonies thrived, due in great measure to the growth of tobacco as the mainstray of Chesapeake commerce (in 1775 it represented over 75 precent of the total value of exports from the Chesapeake colonies and was worth some $4 million). Colonial life and commerce, shipbuilding and the merchant marine, privateers and self-protection—all are treated with insight, drama, and thoroughness in a fascinating maritime history, long out of print and now made widely available for the first time.

Genres: History

528 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1984

Reviews

[Nick Willner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just great, one of the best histories on the chesapeake ive read. Its all the info on chesapeake maritime history, so if thats what your looking for this is it.
Planters, merchants, merchant marines, pirates, privateers, royal navy, ship builders, smugglers, guns, cannons, excitement, minutia, DETAIL. It was great, i really enjoyed it.

[Dominic Liberatore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great if you’re a Chesapeake Bay fanatic. The middle does get a bit slow. But the authors conclusion is very enlightening.

[Tim Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d give it 6 stars if I could. Niche subject matter but if that’s of interest to you, it covers it comprehensively. Very well informed.

[Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. It is filled with well researched information and it is highly readable.

[Dylan Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for - the title says "maritime", but the real genius of this book is in the way it breaks down the role of the Chesapeake in terms of imperial economic flows. Put another way, I know way more about hogsheads now than I used to and I couldn't be happier.