Devil on the Deep Blue Sea: The Notorious Career of Captain Samuel Hill of Boston

Wow! What a fascinating read! Mary Malloy has done a fabulous job of researching and lacing together a meticulous context of facts seen through the keen prism of an encyclopedic knowledge and insights gained from a lifetime study of maritime and native North American Indian history. Samuel Hill and other US ship captains were the face of the United States at the turn of the century - and what a face it was! Engaging in rough and tumble trade from Boston to Japan, Hawaii, China, Chile, the Galapagos Islands to the remote northwestern North American coast, the adventurous Captain Hill no doubt left lasting impressions on all those he encountered ... as he will on all those who read of his amazing exploits in this finely crafted book. One cannot help but to wonder if Captain Hill was regarded by those he came in contact with as a stereotypical US citizen of his time. Highly recommended as a must for all maritime history buffs and those who enjoy a good story. Richard St. Clair, author of "The Winter Chameleon." April 3, 2007

A wonderful story. Very well researched and exceptionally well written, this tale is packed with history, drama, and insight into the psyche of a troubled and violent man.

After more than a decade on his trail, historian Mary Malloy delivers the fascinating life history of ship captain Sam Hill and his world-wide adventures on the high seas. Her account is at once nuanced and deeply contextualized, the product of her own lifetime of experience at sea and in the archives. I was especially impressed by her portrait of a man shaped by the fraternal, often degraded society of sailors and the dramatic disjunctures between "civilized" life in town and elemental life aboard ships. Unfortunately, merchant sailors were the first Americans to encounter and initiate trade with Native Americans in the Northwest, often leading to tragic consequences. The author understands her characters, and vividly portrays their world in rollicking prose-you won't want to put this book down!