Captured!

This is the incredible true story of Thomas Pellow, a young Cornish boy who sailed out to sea with his uncle and was captured by Barbary Pirates. They were shipwrecked enroute to North Africa and young Thomas was taken to the slave markets where he was sold to the infamous Sultan Ismail. Over the many years that Thomas was in the service of the Sultan he had many adventures and was given great responsibility while remaining a slave.  He often wondered about his mother and father, and his homeland of Cornwall, which led to his adventurous escape and attempt to reach home.

At Mabecron Books we were fascinated by the Thomas Pellow story, the original 1738 tale chronicles the adventures of his 23-year-long captivity and eventual return to Cornwall. Craig Green used the original narrative to produce a wonderful account of Thomas’s life that is suitable for children. The story is gloriously illustrated in full colour by Oliver Hurst, who also illustrated Christmas in Cornwall and Sea of Storms.

Pellow is still an important family name in Cornwall and we were delighted to welcome over 60 descendants named Pellow to the book launch of Captured, held at the Polytechnic in Falmouth.

  • Author: Craig Green
  • Illustrator: Oliver Hurst
  • Hardback £13.99
  • ISBN 978 0 9572 5606 4
  • 56 pages, 310 x 250 mm