first edition
1823 · London
by London Society for Mitigating and Gradually Abolishing the State of Slavery throughout the British Dominions
London: Printed by Ellerton and Henderson, Gough Square, 1823. Near Fine. Folio (21.5 x 33 cm / 8½" x 13"). pp. [1] 2-3 [4 blank]. Light vertical and horizontal center folds, three short tears at the horizontal fold, near fine, with a contemporary drawing of a few survey lines and diagrams very lightly sketched in ink and pencil on the final blank page. The Society states its case against slavery in the Colonies of Great Britain, where "there are at this moment upwards of 800,000 human beings in a state of degrading personal slavery." It provides a brief but detailed description of "the immoral, inhuman, and unjust" nature of the slave trade, and of the absolute power of slave owners. (Inventory #: 423251)