This two-volume encyclopedia is the first to focus on the material life of slaves. Although many encyclopedias discuss slavery, enslaved blacks, and African American life and culture, none focus on the material world of slaves, such as what they saw; touched; heard; ate, drank, and smoked; wore; worked with and in; used, cultivated, crafted, played, and played with; and slept on. The two-volume World of a Slave: Encyclopedia of the Material Life of Slaves in the United States is a landmark work in this important new field of study. Recognizing that a full understanding of the complexity of American slavery and its legacy requires an understanding of the material culture of slavery, the encyclopedia includes entries on almost every aspect of that material culture, beginning in the 17th century and extending through the Civil War. Readers will find information on animals, documents, economy, education and literacy, food and drink, home, music, personal items, places, religion, rites of passage, slavery, structures, and work. There are also introductory essays on literacy and oral culture and on music and dance.

The first work of its kind to document slavery on a global scale, The Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery is a two volume set that provides an in depth portrayal of human bondage and the slave trade from ancient times to the present. The Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery presents 700 topics of world slavery in 500- to 1,500-word entries that are extensively cross-referenced with bibliographical citations for further research. The encyclopedia contains 100 illustrations, with maps accompanying core essays involving specific geographic locations. Biographies portray the lives of notable figures such as the remarkable life of the fugitive slave, nurse, spy, and abolitionist Harriet Tubman; Mali's ninth ruler, Mansa Musa; and the early ruler of Kievan Russia, Laroslav the Wise. This is the first work of its kind to document slavery on a global scale and is an essential addition to every reference collection. Academic, high school, and public libraries, as well as genealogists, historical societies, and museum reference collections, will find this an invaluable resource on the topic of slavery throughout the world. Presents 700 topics of world slavery in 500 to 1,500 word entries that are extensively cross referenced with bibliographical citations for further research Biographies portray the lives of notable figures such as Harriet Tubman, Mansa Musa, Laroslav the Wise 100 illustrations, with maps accompanying core essays involving specific geographic locations

The various manifestations of coerced labour between the opening up of the Atlantic world and the formal creation of Haiti.

In this volume, leading scholars provide essay-length coverage of slavery in a wide variety of medieval contexts around the globe.

The life, hardships, struggles, punishments, pleasures and revolts of slaves from ancient times.

This two-volume set documents the essential role of the sea and maritime activity across history, from travel and food production to commerce and conquest. In all eras, water transport has served as the cheapest and most efficient means of moving cargo and people over any significant distance. Only relatively recently have railroads and aircraft provided an alternative. Most of the world's bulk goods continue to travel primarily by ship over water. Even today, 95 percent of the cargo that enters and leaves the United States does so by ship. Similarly, people around the world rely on the sea for food, and in recent years, the sea has become an important source of oil and other resources, with the longterm effects of our continuing efforts to extract resources from the sea further highlighting environmental concerns that range from pollution to the exhaustion of fish stocks. This chronologically organized two-volume reference addresses the history of the sea, beginning with ancient civilizations (4000 to 1000 BCE) and ending with the modern era (1945 to the present day). Each of the eight chapters is further broken down into sections that focus on specific nations or regions, offering detailed descriptions of that area of the world and shorter entries on specific topics, individuals, and events. The book spans maritime history, covering major seafaring peoples and nations; famous explorers, travelers, and commanders; events, battles, and wars; key technologies, including famous ships; important processes and ongoing events, such as piracy and the slave trade; and more. Readers will benefit from dozens of primary source documents—ranging from ancient Egyptian tales of seafaring to texts by renowned travelers like Marco Polo, Zheng He, and Ibn Battuta—that provide firsthand accounts from the age of discovery as well as accounts of battle from World War I and II and more modern accounts of the sea.

After many years of research, award-winning historian Hugh Thomas portrays, in a balanced account, the complete history of the slave trade. Beginning with the first Portuguese slaving expeditions, Hugh Thomas describes and analyzes the rise of one of the largest and most elaborate maritime and commercial ventures in all of history. Between 1492 and 1870, approximately eleven million black slaves were carried from Africa to the Americas to work on plantations, in mines, or as servants in houses. The Slave Trade is alive with villains and heroes and illuminated by eyewitness accounts. Hugh Thomas's achievement is not only to present a compelling history of the time, but to answer controversial questions as who the traders were, the extent of the profits, and why so many African rulers and peoples willingly collaborated.