Karl Marx and Abraham Lincoln: They may seem an unlikely pair, but they knew of each other, and Marx was intensely interested in the Civil War and the fate of slavery. Marx also influenced the culture and trajectory of US worker radicalism, which fueled the bitter and bloody labor conflicts of late nineteenth-century America. Robin Blackburn writes about all this in a new book.

Diverse ecosystems, bizarre life cycles, evolutionary wonders: John Muir Laws has written about and created drawings of natural phenomena and many living things. In this first-time presentation of the full-length interview, Laws shares stories about bird and lizard behavior, pollination strategies, and more. Also, Katrina Browne has made a film about her slave-trading ancestors.

Is it correct to say that Charles Darwin was a scientist par excellence, and that his theories were rooted solely in empirical study? Or might there have been another side to Darwin, a moral passion that spurred his research on evolution? James Moore contends that Darwin's obsession with human origins was fueled by his contempt for slavery.

What happens to the mythology surrounding this nation's origins if Thomas Jefferson had a long-term liaison with his slave Sally Hemings, and fathered one or more of her children? Clarence Walker argues that a very different understanding of America's racial origins and national identity is required.