William Rotch (1734–1828) had a complicated life and potentially conflicting motivations, and in this book historian Sarah Crabtree works with artist Melissa Philley to draw the reader into the process of assessing historical sources. Both historical figures and historians appear as characters who can interact, dramatizing the dialogue that occurs between a researcher and their sources in a way that I found effective and engaging.

There are roughly two halves to the book: in the first, William Rotch presents his story in mainly his own words, based on a memoir he wrote. In the second, his brother Francis Rotch, with Crabtree’s help, presents an alternative version that includes background information and facts left out of the memoir used as the source for the first half. The historical narratives are framed by sections in which Crabtree describes her research process, including archive work, discussions with colleagues, and the process of constructing, assessing, deconstructing, and recreating an argument. In this way, it serves to present both the ways in which historians work and the lives of the Rotch family – who were, as the title tells us, Quakers. The family was heavily involved in the whaling industry. They were several times accused as traitors, not without reason, although the main motivation seems to have been keeping the business afloat in times of war. Additionally, it may have been spies in some sense (especially using family and faith networks to find out what was happening on all sides of international conflicts).

The core argument is strong. By showing us the alternative versions of the story and exploring different ways that we might now understand the motivations of people in the past, Crabtree makes her point about the complexity of this very clearly. Readers are encouraged to form their own conclusions on the central question about the extent to which William’s actions were motivated by religion or mercantilism, but she also offers her own suggestion, namely that it is a matter of emphasis more than facts in fast-moving situations where both body and soul were frequently on the line.

Crabtree brings considerable nuance and depth to the story. She does so by highlighting, for example, points at which William Rotch left business motivations and the actions of his brother out of his account and how he made things seem more religiously motivated or miraculous than they appear when we have a wider picture. For example, when the family moved its business to France, William made it sound almost instantaneous and a matter of religious freedom, without describing the work Francis had already done or the financial aspects of the deal (34, 75). In addition, Crabtree explores times when his actions did not have a clear business motivation, such as refusing to sell bayonets so strongly that he threw them into the sea rather than risk them being used as weapons (12–13, 89).

In terms of audience, this book will certainly bring smiles to the faces of many professional historians of the period, who are likely to be interested in the material on Rotch, recognize the depictions of process, and perhaps be curious about the graphic method of presentation. When it fails to go into a satisfying level of detail, there is a list of further reading at the end as well as exact source notes. It will be of interest to Quaker Studies scholars, as well, especially those working on the transatlantic networks formed by Quaker communities (and they will also want the list of further reading).

More widely, there may be an audience for this book among people interested not just in history but in historical method: I could imagine using it as a teaching book for a class where students are encountering concepts like primary and secondary sources for the first time. The graphic format reduces the friction in getting to grips with the facts such that space is left for the reader’s engagement with the theoretical questions. It may also be of interest to members of the Quaker community today, especially those who are engaged in the ongoing project of reassessing their relationship to Quaker history and the unethical or ethically dubious actions of Quakers in the past. However, it may need to be paired with some further research in order to be really useful for this, since one of the questions it does not have space to address is how other Quakers responded to the Rotch family at the time. We are told that William’s son Benjamin Rotch ceases to be a Quaker, which may be a clue (54).

Overall, I think this is a helpful addition to two fields: the history of the relationships between religions, businesses, and nations; and the graphic novel form as a vehicle for history, which is both accessible and nuanced. At some points, I wished for more detail and more discussion: this is probably partly to do with the format (although some graphic novels are published at more than double the page count), partly to do with the decisions made about focusing on one question to the exclusion of others (which it is right to make even if some readers would also enjoy the other possible books), and partly a sign that I appreciated it very much and would happily read more in the same style.