The History Files series presents the people, events and ideas that have shaped our world, through the lens of recent research. Each title covers a single topic and is illustrated with telling images from out-of-the-way sources and a collection of facsimile documents, bringing the past to life in an accessible yet authoritative format. Focusing on the experiences of those who lived through slavery, James Walvin, a leading authority on the subject, discusses the origins, development, abolition and legacies of the slave trade. The facsimile documents bring the period alive, as do the poignant quotations taken from first-hand accounts, detailed box features and over 150 evocative images.