Author Presentation: David Mould and the "Mission to Madagascar"

Join author David Mould for a presentation on his newest book, Mission to Madagascar. 

Radama—the young, savvy, ruthless ruler of the rising military power in Madagascar, with an appetite for conquest, sex, and alcohol. Robert Townsend Farquhar—the scheming, silver-tongued governor of the British island colony of Mauritius, whose plantation economy depends on slave labor. James Hastie— an educated, enterprising, and courageous East India Company sergeant, ready to take on a risky mission. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, as Britain and France face off in the southwest Indian Ocean, the destinies of these three characters intertwine. Will the British cut a deal to end the export of slaves from Madagascar, and if so at what cost? Will Radama, with the wily Hastie by his side, win the internal power struggle against nobles and clan chieftains? Will his forces, with muskets supplied by the British, subdue spear-wielding clans and unite the island, making him king of all Madagascar? Hastie’s previously unpublished journals weave a narrative of hazardous travel, byzantine court intrigue and colonial geopolitics.

David H. Mould, Professor Emeritus at Ohio University, works as a consultant for UNICEF. Born in the UK, he has worked as a newspaper and TV journalist, documentary producer, media trainer, and freelance writer. He has published books and articles on World War I documentary film, the 19th-century U.S. transportation revolution, and oral history. His travel tales from Asia and Africa, including Madagascar, are featured in the three-book Postcards series.

Books will be available for purchase at the program. Purchase is not required to attend.