| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 111.4

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 111.4 | The History Cooperative

B. W. Higman. Plantation Jamaica, 1750–1850: Capital and Control in a Colonial Economy. Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press. 2005. Pp. xiv, 386.
B. W. Higman's book is an excellent study and a fine example of economic history. The author focuses on one aspect of Caribbean history that has received little scholarly attention until now: that is, "the management of the plantation economy." The historical context for this study is colonial Jamaica, 1750–1850. Jamaica was Britain's largest producer of sugar and the most important example of absentee proprietorship and plantation or estate management through agents. The principal figure in Higman's study is the estate agent, usually an attorney, who represented a unique concept of the separation of ownership and management.	1
The author meticulously examines the character of the absentee planters and the role of the agents who managed their estates on their behalf. Higman traces the extent of absentee ownership in Jamaica, and with sophistication and ease he elevates to new heights the ongoing debate on the impact of absenteeism on plantation life and the plantation economy. His comprehensive and diligent analysis of data and sources compels readers to reevaluate old notions of plantation management and to address crucial questions related to this issue such as "who were these agents?" and "how did they manage the plantation before and after the abolition of slavery?"	. . .

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