This important new contribution to the study of Atlantic history brings together eight original essays by such leading scholars as Jorge Canizares-Esguerra, Paul Lovejoy, David Eltis, and Benjamin Schmidt on the many connections between the Old World and the New World in the early modern period. With an introduction by Wim Klooster, the four sets of paired essays examine the role of specific port cities in Atlantic history, aspects of European migration, the African dimension, and ways in which the Atlantic world has been imagined. Numerous maps and illustrations further enrich this vital new contribution to undergraduate and graduate courses of study in Atlantic history.

"This exciting volume delivers even more than it promises. It treats collectively of all European groups who contributed to the shaping of the Atlantic World that had emerged by the eighteenth century, and it demonstrates how their endeavors were modified and complemented by significant contributions from Native Americans and Africans who, in so many respects, were the principal victims of the political and economic systems that emerged. The Introduction is, in itself, a compelling overview." — Nicholas Canny, National University of Ireland, Galway

"This volume, effectively framed by Wim Klooster's thorough introduction, presents an outstanding collection of articles by leading scholars. The authors bring to bear a wealth of scholarly expertise and intellectual sophistication as they address diverse aspects of the experiences, objectives and perceptions of the people who shaped the Atlantic world. The articles vividly illustrate how the opportunities afforded by expansion across the Atlantic shaped the actions and aspirations of Europeans and Africans through a complex of forces: competition for advantage and survival, coercion, individual and collective ambition, and the quest for intellectual comprehension of the very world the participants were in the process of forging." — Ida Altman, University Research Professor, University of New Orleans

"This volume is admirable in its conceptualization and promises to provide students with important and thought-provoking essays by distinguished historians on a number of topics fundamental to the study of Atlantic history. It will introduce undergraduates who are new to the study of history to exemplary scholarship while enabling more advanced students to use these essays as starting points for further study. It is exciting to see essays with such a wide range in topics by such thoughtful historians gathered together in a single volume." — Alison Games, Georgetown University

"The work of these scholars is quite remarkable and I am confident The Atlantic World will be well received by both students and teachers." — John Thornton, Boston University

INTRODUCTION.

PERSPECTIVES.

EUROPEAN MIGRATION.

THE AFRICAN DIMENSION.

IMAGINATION.