With coverage extending from prehistory to the modern day these six highly illustrated, interdisciplinary volumes are the first definitive reference work covering the cultural history of slavery and human trafficking.

Volumes cover:
1. A Cultural History of Slavery and Human Trafficking in the Ancient World (10,000 BCE - 500 CE)
2. A Cultural History of Slavery and Human Trafficking in the Pre-Modern Era (500 - 1450)
3. A Cultural History of Slavery and Human Trafficking in the Age of Discovery (1450 - 1700)
4. A Cultural History of Slavery and Human Trafficking in the Age of Empire (1700 - 1900)
5. A Cultural History of Slavery and Human Trafficking in the Age of Global Conflict (1900 - 1945)
6. A Cultural History of Slavery and Human Trafficking in the Age of Globalization (1945 - present)

Bringing together an international cast of over 60 contributors, each volume adopts the same thematic structure, covering: Definitions and Ideologies of Slavery and Trafficking; Slavery, Trafficking, and the Law; Political Cultures; Coercive Laboring Economies; Social Organization, Culture, and Ritual; Gender, Enslavement, and Trafficking; Age, Enslavement, and Trafficking; and Anti-Slavery, Anti-Trafficking, and Abolition Outcomes. This model supports readers in tracing one theme throughout history, as well as providing them with a thorough overview of each individual period.

The page extent is approximately 1,728pp with c. 240 illustrations. Each volume opens with a series preface and an introduction, and concludes with notes, bibliography, list of contributors and an index.