Narrative of Sojourner Truth, A Northern Slave, Emancipated from Bodily Servitude by the State of New York in 1828
New York: Published for the Author, 1853.
[Boston: Published for the Author, 1854]. Second edition, early issue with title page dated 1853 with a New York imprint, and front wrapper resetting title page within an ornamental border dated 1854 and with a Boston imprint. BAL 19381 describes an 1853 dated title like the present but dated 1855 on the front wrap--that issue, however, has different pagination as it includes a new introduction by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Bound in publisher's original wraps; front wrap is detached and rear is started, spine is fragile, barely visible erased name at top of front wrap, Very Good.
Originally a Dutch-speaking slave in New York, Truth escaped to freedom with her infant daughter in 1826. Two years later, she sued her former owner to recover her son and became the first black woman to sue a white man and prevail. After gaining freedom, she would preach about abolition and human right for all. "A legend in her own time, Truth's indomitable will has won her a permanent place in American history. Her evangelic fervor and plain wit helped to advance the causes of emancipation and women's rights" (Blockson 29).
Price: $25,000.00