The Interest - Michael Taylor

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Discover how the campaign to end slavery divided Britain and was almost thwarted by some of the most powerful and famous figures of the era.**SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING**In 1807, Parliament outlawed the slave trade in the British Empire. But for the next 25 years more than 700,000 people remained enslaved, due to the immensely powerful pro-slavery group the ''West India Interest''.This ground-breaking history discloses the extent to which the ''Interest'' were supported by nearly every figure of the British establishment - fighting, not to abolish slavery, but to maintain it for profit. Gripping and unflinching, The Interest is the long-overdue exposé of one of Britain''s darkest, most turbulent times.A DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR''Scintillating . . . compulsively readable'' Guardian''A magnificent book . . . riveting'' Evening Standard''A critical piece of history and a devastating exposé'' Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire''Thoroughly researched and potent'' David Lammy MP''Essential reading'' Simon Sebag Montefiore