Machell of Crackenthorpe, born in 1824, first demonstrated his yearning for adventure when only twelve, and at sixteen left the family rectory to follow his dream of travelling to the East. By chance, he witnessed many important historical events, including the infamous ‘First Opium War’ and the ‘Indian Mutiny’.
He spent most of his adult life in India, and the author follows him to indigo plantations of rural Bengal and Bangladesh, to coffee estates in Kerala’s Malabar Hills, to unexplored regions of central India and to the city of Calcutta. Machell also travelled up the Indus River to Kashmir and the North-West Frontier and undertook an intrepid sea voyage with Muslim merchants.
When the author voyages aboard the last freighter to take passengers from UK to India, she faces the same threat of pirate attack in the Red Sea as Machell. She also follows in his wake by cargo ship to the most remote Polynesian islands, setting for his passionate love affair, and she seeks his colourful descendants in the New World.
This remarkable tale of East-West connections brings to life the untold story of a spirited outsider at the height of the British Raj. Serendipity, intuition and an enchanting relationship, as well as the author’s quest to uncover the missing years of Machell’s life, give this book its magical extra dimension.
Thomas Machell, explorer, writer and artist, was born near York in 1824. As a teenager he sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to India and on to China where he experienced the ‘First Opium War’. His next voyage was around Cape Horn to the Polynesian Islands of the Marquesas, on a ship carrying coal and guano. Returning to India, he worked in indigo in Bengal, coffee in Kerala and with bullock transport in central India. He also travelled up the Indus to the North-West Frontier and Kashmir and in the Arab world by land and by sea with Muslim merchants. He died in India in 1864, aged 39.
A N Wilson –
One of the most remarkable books I have ever read… a deeply moving, totally enchanting account of a great metaphysical mystery.
A N Wilson
Gillon Aitken –
…this book must at all costs be read, because the author’s voice – her passion and her mission – is utterly captivating.
Gillon Aitken of Aitken Alexander Associates
Nick Smith –
Balfour Paul writes with the poetic grasp of Herrick and the narrative authority of Theroux.
Nick Smith for the Explorers Journal
Kevin Rushby –
… woven together as beautifully as any fine bit of indigo – it’s a cracking tale!
Kevin Rushby, author and Guardian travel writer
Stuart Jeffries –
Mingling fact and fiction was too much for some publishers. This is not a good enough reason for declining such a wonderful book.
Stuart Jeffries – The Guardian
Victoria Finlay –
… there are coincidences in this beautifully written, cleverly structured book which seem to crack open the very nature of life itself.
Victoria Finlay – The Independent
James Attlee –
… the story she uncovers [is] a valuable addition to our understanding of a time marked by intellectual questioning as well as colonial certainties.
James Attlee – The Independent
Hannah Finch –
An incredible tale… given a magical extra dimension by [an] affection that spans more than a century.
Hannah Finch, Western Morning News
Gillon Aitken –
…this book must at all costs be read, because the author’s voice – her passion and her mission – is utterly captivating.
Gillon Aitken of Aitken Alexander Associates
Ilham Gallery –
In her critically acclaimed book, Deeper than Indigo, she demonstrates her world-leadingauthority on the topical plant (indigo belongs to the pea family, and was formerly widely cultivated as a source of dark blue dye).A Biography, memoir and reimagining of Thomas Machells, 19th century indigo planter and explorer’s journeys, the writing of this book took Balfour-Paul to China, India and Bangladesh as she followed in his footsteps.