Slavery is broadly described by the United Nations (UN) as the condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers connected to the right of ownership are exercised. We know that slavery has existed as an institution in human civilizations all over the world for thousands of years and that it continues to this day. But there is much we don't know. For the most part enslaved people throughout the world have lived and died without an opportunity to tell their own tales. Although slaves who found freedom were able to record their experiences, the records kept by slave holders are more often the only documentation left to us of many slaves' lives. How many millions of people in the world have lived their lives from birth to death in slavery and are now hidden from history is difficult to estimate and painful to imagine.

Through the records that do exist, though, it is possible to fill out our understanding of the people who lived in slavery, not only as victims of a terrible system, but in terms of their individuality, their ways of coping and surviving, their own stories, and their struggles to be free. The Slavery Throughout History Reference Library provides a unique forum for a student or general interest reader to approach this difficult subject. The Almanac presents the overall history of slavery throughout the Western world and beyond, with facts, figures, and plenty of contextual information on the economics, politics, law, culture, religion, and social trends that developed around the institution. The Biographies volume presents slavery from the perspective of individual lives: the stories of people of diverse beliefs, personalities, and circumstances who were slaves themselves or who had a profound impact on the institution. Finally, the Primary Sources volume features the first-hand accounts of slaves, lawmakers, abolitionists, and slaveowners, offering the immediate voices of the times on the events, issues, and ideas that arose in the history of slavery.

Related reference sources:

Slavery Throughout History: Almanac provides an overview of the institution of slavery from the time it developed among the earliest permanent settlers in Mesopotamia (perhaps as early as 3500 B.C.E.) to the present day. Civilizations covered in the volume include ancient Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome; western Europe and Africa in the Middle Ages; Latin America and the United States from colonial times through emancipation; and modern-day slavery worldwide.

Five of the twelve subject chapters in this volume are dedicated to slavery in the United States. Along with information about the commercial history of the vastly profitable slave trade, the draining of Africa, and the labor-intensive cotton industry, the reader will find stories of slave uprisings, black troops fighting in the American Revolution and the Civil War, the brutal punishments, the restrictive slave codes, the auction blocks, and the heroic abolitionist efforts. The final chapter presents examples of slavery still claiming millions of lives around the world at the end of the twentieth century.

One hundred fifteen black-and-white photographs, illustrations, and maps appear throughout the Almanac. A 'Tact Focus" sidebar highlights key facts in each chapter. Other sidebars present information on a variety of interesting events, customs, and people. Cross references aid the reader in finding related material. Slavery Throughout History: Almanac begins with a Words to Know section defining key terms and a timeline of important events in the history of slavery. The volume concludes with a bibliography and a thorough subject index.

Slavery Throughout History: Biography presents biographies of thirty men and women who made an impact on the institution of slavery or were profoundly impacted by it. Featured are slaves and resistance fighters such as Moses, Spartacus, Toussaint L'Ouverture, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Nat Turner, John Brown, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Slavery Throughout History: Primary Sources features twenty full or excerpted documents pertaining to the institution of slavery, from the Code of Hammurabi to the American slave narratives to the United Nations 1956 declaration of intent to end slavery worldwide. Included are poems, narratives, autobiographical essays, legal documents, speeches, newspaper articles, and other first-hand accounts of slavery. Ample introductory and sidebar information aid the reader in understanding the historical and biographical context of the primary source; black-and-white photographs and illustrations, glossaries, a timeline, a thorough subject index, and cross references provide easy and engaging access.

Special thanks

Grateful acknowledgment is extended to Laurie J. Wechter and Maxine A. Biwer for their editorial assistance with this book. Special thanks also to Sonia Benson, a perceptive, patient editor.

Comments and suggestions

We welcome your comments about Slavery Throughout History: Almanac as well as your suggestions for other topics in history to be covered in this series. Please write: Editors, Slavery Throughout History: Almanac, U•X•L, 27500 Drake Rd., Farmington Hills, Michigan 48331-3535; call toll-free: 1-800-877-4253; fax to: 248-699-8055; or send e-mail via http://www.galegroup.com.