Backcountry Slave Trader explores the life of William James Smith, a South Carolina backcountry slave trader, whose entries in his business ledger and his correspondence were of unusual specificity. The authors’ analyze these entries and his correspondence, which they argue provide details about the institutional features of the domestic slave trade not found in earlier published works. The authors examine the attitude of Smith and how he conducted his business, and reveal that the interior slave trade and the characterization of the slave trader are more nuanced than previously thought.

This book includes both the story of slave trader William James Smith and an examination in microcosm of the domestic slave trade in the South's hinterland. The authors provide insight into the life and business of William James Smith to analyze the interior slave trade and characterizations of slave traders.

Final Passages: The Intercolonial Slave Trade of British America, 1619-1807

"Focuses on networks of people, information, conveyances, and other resources and technologies that moved slave-based products from suppliers to buyers and users." (page 3) The book examines the credit and financial systems that grew up around trade in slaves and products made by slaves.