My name is Robert J. Antony, a historian and author. I was a Senior Researcher in Maritime History at Guangzhou University, and since 2019 a Visiting Distinguished Professor at Shandong University. My research focuses on what is called history from the bottom up. I believe that in order to understand a society, and its history, we must look at it not only through the eyes and words of the men at the top but also from the perspective of the little guy at the lower ends of the social ladder. This history, however, is not easy to get at and involves tedious research using both conventional and unconventional sources as well as innovative methodologies and lots of imagination. I find my clues to the past not only in dusty archives but also in gritty fieldwork in bucolic villages. My interests range from the history of crime and the culture of violence to popular religion and local folkways in late imperial China. I mostly write about the social and cultural histories of pirates, smugglers, bandits, triad thugs, and shamans who lived in the Ming and Qing dynasties in Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan.

Welcome to my author page. I hope you'll like my new book, Women and The Royal Navy (NMRN/IB Tauris, which is out this week.

I'm breaking new ground by synthesising the comparative histories of all different kinds of women in Royal Naval services. You can learn about early cross-dressed cabin 'boys' but mainly about those hidden from history in the 20 and 21 centuries: women doctors and dentists, VADs, and medical assistants as well as the better-known Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service and the Women's Royal Naval Service officers. You can see the parallels and diferences.

FAQs.

# Did you write it because you wanted to be a Wren or because your were a seafarer in a previous career?

I never worked at sea. I prefer freedom. And no, I could never have been one of these Royal Navy women because being obedient for more than an hour drives me nuts. However I'm very good at being self-disciplined -- writers have to be. I work 14 hour days, from 5 am, with a break for Pilates.

# What was your biggest surprise in writing the book?

That so many women didn't join in order to go to sea. Even today they still think that women shouldn't be on ships. I myself believe a woman's place can be on every ship, if she wants and if she can.

# Why did you write it? Because I'm fascinated by women who go away to sea as a way to get new and more fulfilling ways of living life. I wanted to compare these armed services women on warships with those sailing on commercial vessels such as cruise ships. They're sometimes misnamed 'working vacationers'. (My last book was about them.)

# What do you think of these naval women? That they've made a wonderful and under-sung contribution to naval life. They impress me. And I envy the deep camaraderie that they enjoyed together.

# What's your next book?

A novel about a real cross-dressed woman sailor - 'William Brown' from Grenada, 1815. She was the only known black woman to disguise herself as a man on naval ships.

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What I said at this point in 2016, when my last book From Cabin "Boys" to Captains' was just out ... and similar boxes of new books to sell were making the living room look untidy then too:

I'm a writer - that's why I'm here on this site. Being a writer means I'm always getting excited about new ideas and ways to express them. I spend a lot of time in my dressing gown or gym leggings in front of the computer with Amber the cat (pictured here sitting on the newly arrived galleys of "From Cabin 'Boys' to Captains"), snacking on Yorkies and phoning almost anybody on any pretext - to give myself screen breaks.

And then at the end of the production line there's the joy of signing my books and hearing how people enjoy them. The photos show our recent launch parties on historic ships in Glasgow and Southampton. It felt like such an honour to have a cuppa with some of the most significant seawomen pioneers from the 1970s onwards 'tween decks on the Tall Ship Glenlee. Check out the book's own facebook page: facebook.com/From-Cabin-Boys-to-Captains-250-years-of-women-at-sea-1674785129441025.

You can read about how I write on http://teresa-stenson.blogspot.com/2009/12/tell-me-how-you-write-part-1-jo-stanley.html

My life feels very rich in interesting encounters, great conversations, fascinating travels, new art techniques and intellectual discoveries. Plus I live in scenic Pennine mill village and visit London a lot too.

I particularly enjoy exploring marginalised communities such as seafaring minorities (women, black seafarers, LGBTQI seafarers).

I'm very proud of being a key person in ensuring gender and queer history are included in the story of the sea, especially in museums where I do consultancy and sometimes guest curate exhibitions. It was an honour to help set up the world's first archive about LGBT seafarers, Sailing Proud, at Merseyside Maritime Museum. And it's great that museum staff worldwide are still, ten years sending, sending their staff to see the path-breaking Hello Sailor! exhibition.

Dr Jo Stanley FRHistS

Website: www.jostanley.biz.

Blog on gender and the sea: Blog: http://gendered seas.blogspot.com