The Underground Rail Road. A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, &c, Narrating the Hardships, Hair-breadth Escapes, and Death Struggles of the Slaves in their efforts for Freedom, as Related by Themselves and Others, or Witnessed by the Author; Together With Sketches of some of the Largest Stockholders, and Most Liberal Aiders and Advisors of the Road.

STILL, William.

Edité par Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1872

A propos de cet article

First edition. Born of former enslaved persons, Still (1821-1902) was a leading figure in the Underground Railroad, of which this is the key contemporary account, vast in scope - almost 800 pages - and meticulously documented from Still's own records. "In 1847 the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery hired Still as a clerk, and he soon began assisting fugitives from slavery who passed through the city. After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the society revived its Vigilance Committee to aid and support fugitive slaves and made Still chairman. One of the fugitives he helped was Peter Still, his own brother who had been left in slavery when his mother escaped. Finding Peter after a forty-year separation inspired Still to keep careful records of the former slaves, and those records later provided source material for his book on the Underground Railroad. While with the Vigilance Committee, Still helped hundreds of fugitive slaves, and several times he nearly went to prison for his efforts." "Still's book, The Underground Railroad (1872), was unique. The only work on that subject written by an African American, it was also the only day-by-day record of the workings of a vigilance committee. While he gave credit to 'the grand little army of abolitionists', he put the spotlight on the fugitives themselves, saying 'the race had no more eloquent advocates than its own self-emancipated champions'. Besides recording their courageous deeds, Still hoped that the book would demonstrate the intellectual ability of his race. Along with the records of slave escapes he included excerpts from newspapers, legal documents, correspondence of abolitionists and former slaves, and some biographical sketches. He published the book himself and sent out agents to sell it. The book went into three editions" (ANB). Octavo. With woodcut frontispiece and 23 plates. Original red cloth, spine and front cover lettered in gilt. A little rubbed, slight wear at spine ends, short closed tear at head of pp. 573/4, but overall very good.

N° de réf. du vendeur 190463

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Underground Rail Road. A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, &c, Narrating the Hardships, Hair-breadth Escapes, and Death Struggles of the Slaves in their efforts for Freedom, as Related by Themselves and Others, or Witnessed by the Author; Together With Sketches of some of the Largest Stockholders, and Most Liberal Aiders and Advisors of the Road.
• Éditeur: Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1872
• Édition: Edition originale