Black Life on the Mississippi Slaves, Free Blacks, and the Western Steamboat World

"A valuable contribution to the ever-expanding literature on American slavery and freedom. . . . The book deserves a wide readership.”
— Civil War History

“Makes a welcome and significant contribution to the history of slavery and African Americans with this interesting and well-researched work.”
— Journal of the Early Republic

"A terrific read. . . . This is social and economic history at its best."
— Journal of American History

"Buchanan's research is impeccable. . . . Unreservedly an important book--vital for students of the Mississippi and relevant far more widely."
— Journal of American Studies

"[Buchanan] highlights the paradoxical nature of the Mississippi and the mobility afforded river workers. . . . An important addition the literature on U.S. slavery."
— Journal of African American Studies

"Offers trenchant insights into the stark conditions of everyday life along the Mississippi."
— Louisiana History

"In this thoroughly researched and elegantly written book, Buchanan recreates the lives of the tens of thousands of African-Americans who labored on the Mississippi and its tributaries. . . . Thanks to [his] prodigious investigation and eloquent prose, the real-life Jims who peopled the river banks and towns have at long last had their stories told."
— American Historical Review

"A solid work of scholarship. . . . A well-illustrated and attractively produced volume."
— Western Historical Quarterly

"This is a great read for steamboat buffs no less than students of African American history.
(Joseph P. Reidy, Howard University)"