Subject: History of Slavery

East Africa and the Indian Ocean
East Africa and the Indian Ocean book cover
Alpers, Edward A.

Subject: Africa, World History

For centuries, East Africa has played a central role within the Indian Ocean world. The Arabs built the first trade networks there; these were laid siege to by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, followed by British colonialists in the …

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Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History
Red book cover titled "Eunuchs and Castrati
Scholz, Piotr (translated by Shelley L. Frisch)

Subject: World History

This fascinating study of eunuchs guides readers as they travel through various lands and periods, familiarizing themselves with the duties and responsibilities, the unspeakable torments, and the passions and joys of these individuals. Eunuchs were not simply “bedchamber attendants,” as …

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First Sultan of Zanzibar: Scrambling for Power in the Nineteenth-Century Indian Ocean
Book cover: The First Sultan of Zanzibar
Nicolini, Beatrice

Subject: World History

The Indian Ocean was long one of the world’s most important trade zones, controlled by Arab and Indian merchants. But in the 19th century, the British-French rivalry spilled over into the Indian Ocean. Pirates looted, adventurers sought their fortunes, and …

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History of the Caribbean: Plantations, Trade, and War in the Atlantic World
History of the Caribbean book cover with windmill
Moya Pons, Frank

Subject: Caribbean

“Frank Moya Pons, the authority on the history of the Dominican Republic, has written a classic.” — New West Indian Guide

“A clearly written and comprehensive narrative.” — HAHR: Hispanic American Historical Review

“A very good read. Historically sound, …

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Inward Hunger: The Education of a Prime Minister
Red book cover featuring oval sepia portrait
Williams, Eric (introduction by Colin Palmer)

Subject: Caribbean

“When the author, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, was a lad, his country was a British crown colony, and its government offered one university scholarship a year to the entire population. Young Williams won it, and went off …

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Lamu: History, Society, and Family in an East African Port City
Lamu book cover, East African port city
Romero, Patricia

Subject: Africa, Women's History

This book depicts the history of Lamu, once an important East African port city but now known as an unspoiled tourist destination and scenic location for Hollywood movies.

Records from both the distant past and the more recent period give …

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Life in a Haitian Valley
Book cover: Life in a Haitian Valley
Herskovits, Melville J. (introduction by Sidney W. Mintz)

Subject: Caribbean

This book is a precious document in the intellectual history of the black Americas. Its author was surely the first academically respectable white scholar to take seriously the cultural achievements of Afro-Americans, throughout the hemisphere. His influence is still keenly …

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One Frenchman, Four Revolutions: General Ferrand and the Peoples of the Caribbean
Book cover: One Frenchman, Four Revolutions
Picó, Fernando

Subject: Caribbean

This book is about the world in which the French general Marie-Louis Ferrand thrived and in which he ultimately lost his life. He can be seen as an overarching link between the four revolutions from 1775 to 1825 through which …

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Removing a Badge of Slavery: The Record of Brown v. Board of Education
Book cover: Removing a Badge of Slavery
Whitman, Mark, editor

Subject: U.S. History

This compelling collection lets the reader come to grips with the fascinating record of a case in which facts have made a more thrilling story than fiction. The suit involved civil rights giants Thurgood Marshall and the leaders of the …

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Shaihu Umar: Trans-Saharan Slave Trade in Africa
Shaihu Umar book cover with camel illustration
Balewa, Sir Abubakar Tafawa, Alhaji (edited by Beverly Mack; translated by Mervyn Hiskett)

Subject: Africa, World Literature, History of Slavery

Northern Nigeria, just before the turn of the century: a time of unrest and civil war, when the trans-Saharan slave trade still flourished. Against this turbulent backdrop is set the story of the Hausa, a black African people who practice …

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