I've only recently come across references to the so-called triangular trade (rum, slaves, sugar, traded between England, West Africa, the Americas) in the early(?) nineteenth century (and late eighteenth?). I'd like to know more about this (I've only seen it mentioned in passing). Can anyone suggest a few good papers or books to read? Plus I'd welcome anyone's thoughts/ideas - I'm particularly interested in the significance of alcohol as a tool of imperial expansion/colonisation, and links between commercial interests and international politics, but I'm also intrigued by the symbolic significance of links between slavery and alcohol. Also, until recently I'd always thought of sugar as a fairly ordinary commodity, but I've heard a bit lately about the use of Torres Strait Islanders as slave labour in the sugar-fields of north Queensland (Australia), and the notion of the triangular trade suggests that there's a lot more to it than I'm aware of. Thanks Melissa Melissa Raven, Lecturer, Addiction Studies Coordinator National Centre for Education & Training on Addiction NCETA, Level 3B, Science Park Adelaide, BEDFORD PARK SA 5042, AUSTRALIA Phone 61 8 2017557 Fax 61 8 201 7550