British Shipping in the Mediterranean during the Napoleonic Wars

Katerina Galani, Ph.D. (2011), Oxford University, is Post-Doctoral Fellow in Economic History at the Ionian University. She was awarded the Frank Broeze Prize for Outstanding doctoral thesis in Maritime History. She has participated in research projects on maritime, financial and economic history and she has several publications in peer-reviewed journals and collective volumes.

'[...] the sources for this book, and how they are employed, are a major strength, which alone renders the volume an essential addition to the study of merchant shipping within the Mediterranean Sea. Galani uses primary evidence from a variety of British, Greek and Italian archives, supplemented by and integrated with the relevant secondary literature. This is an important step forward in a revision of our understanding of British trade and the development of regional merchant shipping in the Mediterranean, in the era of transition to modern shipping business through the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It is written for an academic audience and will be of interest not only to maritime historians but also to those studying economic, transportation, and social history.'Thomas Malcomson, in: The Mariner's Mirror, 104:2 (2018), 235-237.'Among the recent works on the British in the Mediterranean, Katerina Galani’s is possibly one of the most enjoyable. [...] a work that is a pleasure to read, with a very clear writing style and swift prose. [...] the book is appealing for a wide range of interests, from imperial to global history, from economic to social history, and to economic geography. It provides food for thought for future research into the maritime and economic history of the Mediterranean [...]. I agree with the author that this work will become a springboard for future research on the Mediterranean, as she enriches recent historiography that revaluates the role of the region in the modern history of trade. She highlights how the Mediterranean was always of crucial importance for understanding British imperial power as we know it. I cannot but agree that the Mediterranean should be given more attention in the historiography, particularly as there is a need constantly to remind ourselves of the primary role played by old and established markets in strengthening the British economy and the nation’s power. This book conveys a powerful message and I would recommend it to advocates of a future global Britain.'Giada Pizzonie, University of Warwick, in: Economic History Review, 71, 4 (2018), 1418-1419.

• AcknowledgmentsList of IllustrationsList of AbbreviationsNote on Names of Places1 IntroductionThe “Extended Mediterranean” in the 19th CenturyStructure of the book2 The End of the ‘Long 18th Century’ in the Mediterranean: An OverviewIntroductionThe Mediterranean and the British EmpireThe Actors: The BritishNavigating the Mediterranean: The Market ScopeThe Co-actors: Foreign and Local CarriersConclusion3 Charting British Sea Routes in the MediterraneanIntroductionLloyd’s List as a Historical SourceSome Methodological RemarksThe Evidence on British ShippingAn Increase in Shipping: Causality and Interpretations4 British Shipping on the Micro-Scale: From Long-Distance to Short-Distance HaulsIntroductionBritish Shipping at the Port of LivornoSea Routes: Livorno’s Involvement in Intra-Mediterranean HaulsBetween Grand Traffic and Short-Distance Shipping: The PassengersConclusion5 An Age of Transition for British Shipping: Institutional and Organisational ShiftsIntroductionShipping in the Early Modern EraInstitutional Changes: A Step towards the Systematisation of the IndustryChanges in Everyday Business: SpecialisationConclusion6 How Profitable a Business was it After All?IntroductionEarningsThe Cost of ShippingThe ShipThe Organisation of ShippingThe CrewConclusion7 Levant Company: The Institutional Branch of British Shipping in the LevantIntroductionThe Levant Company: Its OperationThe State of the Company’s Shipping and Trade in the Late 18th CenturyFree Traders and the Monopolistic CompanyConclusion8 ConclusionAppendicesBibliographyIndex