Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Boston: The Anti-Slavery Office, 1845. Decorative Boards. Very Good -. The 1845 true 1st edition of Frederick Douglass's first published work, a monumental achievement in both African-American literature and 19th century American literature. A solid, very presentable copy of this diminutive (16mo), fragile book. Tight and VG- to VG in ts decorative dark cloth, with ornate blindstamping to the panels and bright, strong gilt-titling to the front cover. Missing the bottom 1 1/2" of the spine and the front blank endpaper but, happily, including the frontispiece portrait of Frederick Douglass and the entirety of the text (along with the rest of the preliminaries). (truncated) Light, intermittent foxing and soiling to a number of the pages but, given the age and fragility of this 1845 narrative, one can still imagine this as a comparatively well-preserved, above-average copy. Long Preface by the redoubtable William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1897), the radical abolitonist and social reformer. Published out of Boston by the Anti-Slavery Office and marking a vital exposition by a self-educated former slave of the horrors of the institution of slavery. (Inventory #: 24359)