PAPERBACK ISBN: 0-88258-182-1       $39.95

384 pages; 6 x 9 inches

A History of British Slavery

by James Walvin

A richly illustrated and compelling narrative, written in accessible language, Black Ivory: A History of British Slavery synthesizes recent scholarship on this important topic. Historian James Walvin compares and contrasts slavery in Britain, the West Indies, and the United States, thus enabling readers to gain insight into the different historical circumstances and outcomes of slavery in these areas. Walvin carefully explores the exter­nal pressures exerted on coastal communities in Africa for slaves, the gradual devel­opment of a slave trading system within Africa, and the transport of over twelve million Africans across the seas. His detailed, graphic account of the physical, com­mercial, and security arrangements demanded by the trans-Atlantic crossing highlights the experiences of both the men who manned the slave ships and those held in bondage below the decks of those ships. The book’s exhaustive comparative treatment helps generalists as well as students and scholars to more fully comprehend the daily life of the slaves and to better understand the distinctive historical circumstances—and complex socioeconomic effects—of British slavery.

© 1998-2000 Howard University, all rights reserved.  Last updated:18 January 2006.
HOWARD UNIVERSITY PRESS.  2225 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20059.  Phone (202) 238-2570
Webmaster: howardupress@howard.edu
Design & Production: Jamie Walker  
DISCLAIMER