The Floating Brothel The Extraordinary True Story of an 18th-Century Ship and Its Cargo of Female Convicts
Author: Sian Rees

In July 1789, 237 women convicts left England for Botany Bay in Australia on board a ship called The Lady Julian, destined to provide sexual services and a breeding bank for the men already there. This is the enthralling story of the women and their voyage. Based on painstaking research into contemporary sources such as letters, trial records and the first-hand account of the voyage written by the ship's steward, John Nicol, this is a riveting work of recovered history. The Floating Brothel brilliantly conjures up the sights, sounds and particularly the smells of life on board ship at the time and is populated by a cast of larger-than-life characters you will never forget.

Sending to mrsjones in Ohio...a wishlist tag. Enjoy!

Thanks so much for this wish list book! I look forward to reading it.

I recently took a Jack the Ripper tour in London that focused on the prostitutes who were killed, what brought them to that life situation, and what the times were like in London during the killing spree. This book reminded me of that quite a bit. I think the economic situations in London were similar even though a hundred years had passed.

I found this book interesting, but a little choppy. I know the author was relying on whatever documentation was available, but it lacked a personal aspect and was very fact-heavy.

Left this in the Benedict Cottage (?) at Heritage Village Museum during Holly Days today. I’m hoping it finds an appreciate history lover.