The Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery presents 700 topics of world slavery in 500- to 1,500-word entries that are extensively cross-referenced with bibliographical citations for further research. The encyclopedia contains 100 illustrations, with maps accompanying core essays involving specific geographic locations. Biographies portray the lives of notable figures such as the remarkable life of the fugitive slave, nurse, spy, and abolitionist Harriet Tubman; Mali's ninth ruler, Mansa Musa; and the early ruler of Kievan Russia, Laroslav the Wise.

This is the first work of its kind to document slavery on a global scale and is an essential addition to every reference collection. Academic, high school, and public libraries, as well as genealogists, historical societies, and museum reference collections, will find this an invaluable resource on the topic of slavery throughout the world.