History is best absorbed through the words of those who experienced it. The Gale Library of Daily Life 2-vol. reference sets illuminate daily life in historical times, focusing on a major topic in United States or World history. More than 200 articles provide in-depth reference and historical information on business and work, family and community, housing, clothing, diet, culture and leisure, health and medicine, and religion, as well as aspects of daily life particular to each set, such as the business of slavery and plantation life in the first Library set, Slavery in America. Primary source documents such as diaries, newspapers and periodicals, and literature bring to life the social, economic, political, and cultural context of individual experiences in the time period. Photographs, drawings, political cartoons, and maps complement the text. Additional features: chronology, bibliography, and index for each set. This Library is the perfect reference complement to the electronic product line Sources in U.S. History Online.