How to Manage Your Slaves

It's a bit funny, because it's really structured like an airport-bookstore business/selfhelp book, and has the same breezy tone. You can imagine one that's much more pointed about drawing the connections between 'managing your employees' and 'should your slaves be allowed to get married'. But Toner takes a more balanced approach, having Falx say 'some people do this, you might consider that' and then Toner walks it all back with historical references and disclamations. All in all this flattens the effect. I think it would be more compelling if it leaned harder into its own joke!

Noted on May 13, 2025

Picked this up in the history section of the library. Kind of funny, but I wanted this to be an actual primary source. Instead, it's a fictional primary source, with commentary by Toner. Toner amalgamates several centuries of sources and stories about slavery in the Roman Empire, and puts them all in the mouth of a fictional Roman, Marcus Sidonius Falx.

Noted on May 13, 2025