History of Slavery

Magna Books, 1978, hardcover, illustrated, index, 255 pages, condition: as new.

History of Slavery tells the tells the story of the development of slavery, the trans-Atlantic trade that brought 11 million Africans to the new world.

The history Ms. Everett recalls in this book is horrific, but if it were anything but, she would be doing the reader a disservice.

"The History of Slavery" gives a roughly chronological review of the practice of slavery from the time of Attic antiquity to the human trafficking which sadly goes on today. Some of the images in the book are graphic, as when slaves who failed to meet their rubber quota in Belgian Congo had their limbs hacked off, and personal accounts by everyone from abolitionists to slave masters show the strange and really unbelievable range of emotion and behavior human beings are capable of, from the worst to the best. Other images are iconic, sort of indelibly impressed on our collective consciousness already, since some of these pictures have seen circulation in everything from public school courses to documentaries and museum installations. Still, as in her previous books, Ms. Everett somehow finds images that have somehow evaded even the keenest scholars until now. Highest recommendation, though if you're introducing the subject of slavery to someone cold (especially the very young) this might be a little too traumatizing an entry point.

A COFFEE TABLE BOOK.