The Shelf2Life American Civil War Collection is a unique and exciting collection of pre-1923 titles focusing on the American Civil War and the people and events surrounding it. From memoirs and biographies of notable military figures to firsthand accounts of famous battles and in-depth discussions of slavery; this collection is a remarkable opportunity for scholars and historians to rediscover the experience and impact of the Civil War. The volumes contained in the collection were all written within 60 years of the end of the war; which means that most authors had living memory of it and were facing the effects of the war while writing. These firsthand accounts allow the modern reader to more fully understand the culture of both the Union and Confederacy; the politics that governed the escalation and end of the war; the personal experience of life during the Civil War; and the most difficult and polarizing question in the history of the United States: slavery. The American Civil War Collection allows new readers access to the contemporary arguments and accounts surrounding the war; and is a vital new tool in understanding this important and pivotal chapter in American history.
#835054 in Books Toby Green 2014-03-20 2014-03-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .83 x 5.98l; 1.18 #File Name: 1107634717366 pagesThe Rise of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade in Western Africa 1300 1589 African Studies
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy BeatrizEverything ok!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A mix of sound research and third-rate analysisBy Ulysse ColonnaThis is a very interesting and even fascinating book but also a deeply flawed one (unless you'd rather see it as deeply flawed but also very interesting).First; the good stuff: Toby Green knows his subject inside out and shares it with the reader with a fair amount of gusto.Reading this book you'll learn about how being kicked out of Iberia led the New Christians to become the linchpins of the early slave trade; how the contraband soon became way more important than the legal side of the trade; how capturing the slave trade away from the North African powers was one of the leading drivers of Portuguese expansion and how the local African entities used that trade to develop their military capacities. The author also manages to never lose from sight the plight of the slaves which makes the trade of human beings unlike any other trade. So just for that mass of information the book is very much worth the read.But... unfortunately; I would not say it is a great book.The main issue is the analysis of the situation provided by Toby Green. Considering the slave trade is also and even above all; well; a TRADE with markets; prices; costs; providers and clients; you'd think that economics would take the front row in the book and that the author would build his case around the question of incentives. But; most of the time; this is not what happens. Simple supply and demand is rarely even mentioned and it several times appears that the author has only a very vague grip on the basics of economics. The author in a flow of sociological jargon explains to his reader that at the root of the rise of the slave trade is in the CULTURE of the groups involved both African and European. According to Toby Green; it is their preexisting world-view and systems of belief that led the Kassankés and the New Christians to build the slaving system; not good ol'-fashion greed. This is akin to explaining a hole by the presence of a shovel next to it; it certainly helped; but someone needs the will to dig first and that will comes from the existing incentives; not from the shovel itself...In summary; in terms of pure research and of erudition; this book is excellent; but unfortunately when it came to the interpretation of his data drinking the sociological kool-aid led the author to write a convoluted; barely understandable and wholefully dispensable analysis.3 of 15 people found the following review helpful. careless re detailsBy DiatonicI thought I might purchase the book; but then; in looking at his treatment of various subjects; I found at least one careless error that made me uneasy. He states that Alida Metcalf; the American historian; says that the Portuguese Crown granted a lease of the Brazil trade to Loronha in 1504. But in fact she does not say this since the lease was granted in 1502; not 1504; and she is accurate. A careful historian would not make such an error. He also is not aware of the latest research on the leasing out of Brazil. [There is; however; a great deal of material mentioned and the bibliography is valuable.] That is enough to steer me elsewhere. I also went to see where he teaches; if he does. Apparently he is a free lance historian; not permanently attached to any university.
