'If one is interested in the history of the American south then this book is as essential as Fogel's many works on this subject. It gives a completely new dimension to the darker side of slavery. Much of the published work of recent years mitigates some of the hardships of a slave's existence. As one might expect from a professor of sociology there is a great emphasis on the emotional and tragic disintegration of slave family life due to economic circumstances beyond the control of the slave. It is almost a euphemism to say this book is essential reading on the subject of slavery, nevertheless on this occasion it is a fact.' Open History