H. C. Prinsen Geerligs (b.1864) was a Dutch microbiologist and Director of the Sugar Experiment Station in Java, an important research centre at the heart of the sugar industry. A leading expert in the production of sugar and the workings of the international market, Geerligs presents a detailed and comprehensive history of the industry, from its ancient origins through to the early twentieth century. Developing into a global industry during a time of great turbulence, the story of sugar interweaves with the history of slavery and colonial expansion, and into an age where science revolutionised production methods. As well as detailing the survival and growth of the industry through wars, piracy, conquest and social change, this book includes detailed country-by-country studies of the state of the industry in 1912 when the book was first published. A fascinating portrait of industrial and commercial history from an expert eyewitness.