"Sailing after the spectacular fall of Napoleon in France, yet before the rise of Queen Victoria's England, the Black Joke was first used as a slaving vessel, and one with a lightning-fast reputation; only a lucky capture in 1827 allowed itto be repurposed by the Royal Navy to catch its former compatriots. Over the next five years, the Black Joke liberated more enslaved people than any other in Britain's West Africa Squadron. As Britain slowly attempted to snuff out the transatlantic slave trade by way of treaty and negotiation, enforcing these policies fell ships such as the Black Joke as they battled slavers, weather disasters, and interpersonal drama among captains and crew that reverberated across oceans. The Black Joke is a crucial and deeply compelling work of history, both as a reckoning with slavery and abolition and a lesson about the power of political will - or the lack thereof."--Provided by the publisher.