SKU: 83493655736

The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery

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The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery"A book of great importance and one that will likely become a classic." New York Times Book Review One of The New York Times' 100 Most Notable Books of 2025 A Time Magazine Must Read Book of 2025 A New Yorker Essential Read From the Pulitzer Finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives Perfect for fans of David Grann's The Wager and The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides In late October 1780, a

"A book of great importance and one that will likely become a classic." - New York Times Book Review

One of The New York Times' 100 Most Notable Books of 2025

A Time Magazine Must-Read Book of 2025

A New Yorker Essential Read

From the Pulitzer Finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

Perfect for fans of David Grann's The Wager and The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides

In late October 1780, a slave ship set sail from the Netherlands, bound for Africa's Windward and Gold Coasts, where it would take on its human cargo. The Zorg (a Dutch word meaning "care") was one of thousands of such ships, but the harrowing events that ensued on its doomed journey were unique.

By the time its journey ends, the Zorg would become the first undeniable argument against slavery.

When a series of unpredictable weather events and navigational errors led to the Zorg sailing off course and running low on supplies, the ship's captain threw more than a hundred slaves overboard in order to save the crew and the most valuable slaves. The ship's owners then claimed their loss on insurance, a first for slaves who had not been killed due to insurrection or died of natural causes.

The insurers refused to pay due to the higher than usual mortality rate of the slaves on board, leading to a trial which initially found in their favor, in which the Chief Justice compared the slaves to horses. Thanks to the outrage of one man present in court that day, a retrial was held. For the first time, concepts such as human rights and morality entered the discourse on slavery in a courtroom case that boiled down to a simple yet profound question: Were the Africans on board people or cargo?

What followed was a fascinating legal drama in England's highest court that turned the brutal calculus of slavery into front-page news. The case of the Zorg catapulted the nascent anti-slavery movement from a minor evangelical cause to one of the most consequential moral campaigns in history―sparking the abolitionist movement in both England and the young United States.

The Zorg is the astonishing yet little-known true story of the most consequential ship that ever crossed the Atlantic.

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SKU: 83493655736

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4.4 ★★★★★
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Ayrl
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Toddler approved!
Format: Board book
My 2 year old loves this book! The pictures are beautiful, he's learned the names of all of the bugs, and it's a nice small size that's easy to read using one hand with my toddler in my lap before bedtime. I bought this when he was around 18 months old and it is still a hit.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2021
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Tommy Girl
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Great book!
Format: Board book
I really like this book it includes: ladybug, bumblebee, praying mantis, firefly and (monarch) butterfly. So a good selection of bugs a small child is likely to experience in their yard or park in North America. For the photo board book aged children I really prefer that they discuss vocabulary that the child will be able to use to describe the world around them so I appreciate that most kids will see most of these bugs fairly easily and frequently. I did question the praying mantis since I see them much less frequently than the other bugs in the book but my husband said it is an exciting bug when kids do see it so he supports the choice--I think a fly or mosquito might have been a somewhat more useful choice as far as vocabulary our son could use most often. I liked that they did say the butterfly was a monarch but typically used butterfly so if a child lives where other butterflies are more common they learned the more general term. I think fireflies are less common in some regions but they are so magical as a small child that I think it is a good choice.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2018
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Verified Purchase
sarah woodruffford
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Children's Board Book
Format: Board book
Beautiful large pictures for toddlers to view. Limited factual text.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
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Julia B.
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Son loves it
Format: Board book
Sturdy enough for 19 month old. He loved learning about the insects and looking for them outside. I love the real pictures and facts.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022
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silly
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
Good reading
Format: Board book
Yhese books are great for little ones. I want one on wildflowers!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2019

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