Can anyone recommend a book on the GENERAL practice of slavery?

by Jalsavrah

In the book list of the wiki, there is only the history of the African slave trades. However, I am looking for a more holistic approach, examining the history of slavery all over the world, over all periods, and the economic, political, and philosophical factors underpinning it.

Cheers.

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Best recommendation would be Orlando Patterson's Slavery and Social Death. It is a cross-cultural comparative work which does basically exactly what you're asking for, looking at different systems all over the world. It is also an excellent book, generally, and a key work in the historiography of slavery, so can't recommend highly enough.