Historical Dictionary of Slavery and Abolition

Martin A. Klein is professor emeritus at the University of Toronto where he taught African History for 29 years. In 2001, he received the Distinguished Africanist Award of the African Studies Association.

• Editors’ Foreword Jon WoronoffPrefaceAcronyms and AbbreviationsChronologyIntroductionTHE DICTIONARYBibliographyAbout the author

Libraries that own a particular reference work often decide not to acquire a new edition when the topic is a well-established historical one, such as slavery and abolition. However, this update to the second edition is greatly expanded, with bolstered coverage of the often-overlooked history of slavery within Africa and more than 500 entries. For instance, it now includes noted Timbuktu scholar Ahmed Baba and Tunisian ruler Ahmed Bey, among many others. Klein broke out subtopics previously subsumed under broader entries, e.g., 'Assyria' (formerly in 'Ancient Middle Eastern Slavery'). He also expanded many unsubstantial entries. Klein claims that one rationale for this new edition is to illuminate contemporary forms of slavery; however, researchers looking at recent topics would be hard-pressed to find much beyond a few broad entries, such as 'Human Trafficking.' For example, Klein’s helpful chronology notes recent activity in Niger and includes the Temedt organization in Mali. . . .[T]his work presents a solid and expanded overview of historical slavery and will be a useful acquisition for academic libraries. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers.