Providing a succinct yet comprehensive introduction to the history of the Atlantic world in its entirety, traces the first Portuguese jourbaneys to the West coast of Africa in the mid-fifteenth century through to the abolition of slavery in America in the late-nineteenth century. Bringing together the histories of Europe, Africa and the Americas, this book supersedes a history of nations, foregrounds previously neglected parts of these continents, and explores the region as a holistic entity that encompassed people from many different areas, ethnic groups and national backgrounds. Distilling this huge topic into key themes such as conquest, trade, race and migration, Catherine Armstrong and Laura Chmielewski's chronological survey illuminates the crucial aspects of this cutting edge field.