The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock

By Imogen Hermes Gowar,

Book cover of The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock

Book description

A GUARDIAN, THE TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH AND EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION.

'A cracking historical novel' The Times
'Pure storytelling pleasure' Metro

One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I have included a work of fiction in this list both because it is an extraordinary example of period fiction and because it highlights the potential richness of many of the stories we tell as historians. Several of the books I’ve highlighted in this list, as well as my own work, draw on the records of specific people – often merchants, but also consumers and manufacturers – to explore issues surrounding business history. Imogen Hermes Gowar’s Jonah Hancock exemplifies the risk and uncertainty navigated by early-modern merchants as well as the potential cost of their ambition and expertly navigates the…

From Siobhan's list on early-modern business history.

Want books like The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 86 books like The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock.

Browse books like The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock

Book cover of Empire of Cotton: A Global History
Book cover of Entrepreneurial Families: Business, Marriage and Life in the Early Nineteenth Century
Book cover of The Ties That Buy: Women and Commerce in Revolutionary America

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,201

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in London, mermaids, and presidential biography?

London 862 books
Mermaids 52 books