Submarine telegraphy and the hunt for gutta percha : challenge and opportunity in a global trade / by Helen Godfrey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Godfrey, Helen L., author.

Series:

Global economic history series. 1872-5155 ; Volume 15.

Global economic history series ; Volume 15

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gutta-percha--Economic aspects--Asia--History.

Gutta-percha.

Telegraph--Economic aspects--History.

Telegraph.

Cables, Submarine--History.

Cables, Submarine.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (342 pages).

Place of Publication:

Leiden, Netherlands ; Boston, [Massachusetts] : Brill, [2018]

Summary:

In Submarine Telegraphy and the Hunt for Gutta Percha , Helen Godfrey traces the connections between submarine telegraphy and the peoples of Singapore and Sarawak (Borneo) who supplied 'gutta percha', the latex insulating the world network of undersea telegraph cables. The book examines the complex inter-relationships linking metropolitan and local environments in a trade once described as a matter of interest to the whole civilized world. Using previously untapped corporate and official archives, trade data and a rich documentary record, the study explores the roles of cable producers, scientists, administrators, and local Chinese and indigenous traders. It reveals how a global trade may transcend technological, geographic and cross-cultural challenges, even hostilities. Motivations and outcomes are more complex than simple commercial gain.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Introduction

Submarine Telegraphy: The Forces of Science and Commerce

The Significance of Gutta Percha and the Rise of Submarine Telegraphy

Gutta Percha and the Challenge of Submarine Telegraphy

The Rise and Challenges of the Gutta Percha Trade

Factory to Forest: Opportunity at the Periphery

Power, Profit and the Periphery

The Gutta Percha Trade of Sarawak

Operation of the Gutta Percha Trade in Sarawak

Impact of the Gutta Percha Trade – Opportunity

Impact of the Gutta Percha Trade – Change and Challenge

Conclusions.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

90-04-35728-9

OCLC:

1021065070

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004357280 DOI