Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written By Himself - Softcover

Frederick Douglass

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300087012 ISBN 13: 9780300087017

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2001

Synopsis

The powerful story of slavery that has become a classic of American autobiography, now in an authoritative edition

Frederick Douglass's autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, is widely regarded as a classic of American nineteenth-century history, of African-American studies, and of literature. In 1845, just seven years after his escape from slavery, the young Douglass published this powerful account of his life as a slave and his triumph over oppression. The book, which marked the beginning of Douglass’s career as an impassioned writer, journalist, and orator for the abolitionist cause, reveals the terrors he faced as a slave, the brutalities of his owners and overseers, and his harrowing escape to the North. 
 
This edition of the book, based on the authoritative text that appears in Yale University Press’s multivolume edition of the Frederick Douglass Papers, is the only edition of Douglass’s Narrative designated as an Approved Text by the Modern Language Association’s Committee on Scholarly Editions. It includes a chronology of Douglass’s life, a thorough introduction by the eminent Douglass scholar John Blassingame, historical notes, and reader responses to the first edition of 1845.
 
“None so dramatically as Douglass integrated both the horror and the great quest of the African-American experience into the deep stream of American autobiography. He advanced and extended that tradition and is rightfully designated one of its greatest practitioners.”—John W. Blassingame, from the introduction

 

About this title

Book Description:

Douglass escaped slavery in 1838 and became a tireless campaigner for abolitionism. This autobiography lays bare the realities of slavery in antebellum America. The eloquence of Douglass' writing, with an immediacy and honesty found shocking at the time, make this an invaluable record of one of humanity's most shameful acts.

From the Publisher:

The powerful story of slavery that has become a classic of American autobiography, now in an authoritative edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0300087012
• ISBN 13: 9780300087017
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192
• Editor: Gerald Fulkerson, John W. Blassingame, John R. McKivigan, Peter P. Hinks