  Upon its publication in 1845, Narrative of the Life of FrederickDouglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself became an immediatebest-seller. In addition to its far-reaching impact on the antislaverymovement in the United States and abroad, Douglass's fugitive slavenarrative won recognition for its literary excellence, which has sinceearned it a place among the classics of nineteenth-century Americanautobiography. This Norton Critical Edition reprints the 1845 firstedition of Douglass's compelling work. Explanatory annotationsaccompany the text.
A rich selection of "Contexts" provides the reader with contemporaryperspectives. Included are the little-known preface that Douglass wrotein 1846 for the second Irish edition; a public exchange of lettersbetween A. C. C. Thompson, a former slaveholder, and Douglass; threeautobiographical portraits of Douglass's parents; Douglass's account ofhis escape from slavery, which he chose not to include in the 1845Narrative; samples of Douglass's use of his slave experience in two ofhis most influential antislavery speeches; and reminiscences by JamesMonroe Gregory and Elizabeth Cady Stanton of Douglass as both oratorand friend.
"Criticism" collects six essential assessments of the Narrative'shistorical and literary aspects, by William S. McFeely, Peter Ripley,Robert B. Stepto, William L. Andrews, Houston A. Baker, Jr., andDeborah E. McDowell. A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography areincluded.
Recounts the life of Frederick Douglass as he recorded it and includes several criticisms of the text.| Preface |
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| The Text of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself |
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12 | (71) |
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Preface by William Lloyd Garrison |
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Letter from Wendell Phillips |
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass |
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| Contexts |
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83 | (50) |
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Margaret Fuller . [Review of the Narrative](New York Tribune, June 10, 1845) |
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83 | (2) |
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Anonymous . [Review of the Narrative](Spectator, November 29, 1845) |
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85 | (3) |
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A. C. C. Thompson . [Letter from a Former Slaveholder] (Liberator, December 12, 1845) |
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88 | (3) |
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Frederick Douglass . [Reply to Thompson's Letter] (Liberator, February 27, 1846) |
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91 | (5) |
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. Preface to the Second Dublin Edition of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1846) |
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96 | (2) |
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Douglass on His Mother and His Father (1845, 1855, 1892) |
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98 | (6) |
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Douglass on His Escape from Slavery (1882> |
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104 | (7) |
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. I Am Here to Spread Light on American Slavery (October 14, 1845) |
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111 | (5) |
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. What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? (July 5, 1852) |
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116 | (11) |
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James Monroe Gregory . From Frederick Douglass, the Orator (1893) |
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127 | (3) |
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Elizabeth Cady Stanton . [Diary Entry on Douglass's Death] (February 21, 1895) |
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130 | (3) |
| Criticism |
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133 | (52) |
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William S. McFeely . [The Writing of the Narrative] |
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133 | (2) |
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Peter Ripley . The Autobiographical Writings of Frederick Douglass |
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135 | (11) |
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Robert B. Stepto . Narration, Authentication, and Authorial Control in Frederick Douglass' Narrative of 1845 |
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146 | (11) |
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William L. Andrews . [Frederick Douglass and the American Jeremaid] |
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157 | (9) |
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Houston A. Baker, Jr. . [The Economics of Douglass's Narrative] |
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166 | (66) |
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Deborah E. McDowell . In the First Place: Making Frederick Douglass and the Afro-American Narrative Tradition |
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172 | (13) |
| Frederick Douglass: A Chronology |
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185 | (2) |
| Selected Bibliography |
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187 | |
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