These days, Falmouth is a sleepy little town. But, as long-time Falmouth resident Philip Marsden demonstrates, it has a fascinating history. It scarcely existed before the early 17th century, but Britain’s domination of maritime trade routes saw it become, by the middle of the 18th, the world’s busiest harbour. Its remoteness from London made it a haven for nonconformists of all stripes, from pirates and smugglers to Jews and Quakers, and Marsden’s history is largely driven by the colourful lives of the characters that lived there. Philip Hoare wrote in the Telegraph: ‘From horrifying tales of “flogging round the fleet”, to the triumphant revolutions of boat design, Marsden takes a spyglass to the past and shows us it in vivid colour. Convincing in its detail and exciting in its sweep, this portrait of a port and its people sails deep into the reader’s imagination.’

HarperPress | Paperback 320 pp. |ISBN: 9780007174546