The Narrative of Robert Adams, A Barbary Captive: A Critical Edition

by Robert Adams , Edited by Charles Adams

• ISBN13: 9780521603737
• ISBN10: 0521603730
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-24
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

First published in London in 1816, The Narrative of Robert Adams is an account of the adventures of Robert Adams, an African American seaman who survives shipwreck, slavery, and brutal efforts to convert him to Islam, before being ransomed to the British consul. In London, Adams is discovered by the Company of Merchants Trading which publishes his story, into which Adams inserts a fantastical account of a trip to Timbuctoo. Adams's story is accompanied by contemporary essays and notes that place his experience in the context of European exploration of Africa at the time, and weigh his credibility against other contemporary accounts. Professor Adams's introduction examines Adams's credibility in light of modern knowledge of Africa and discusses the significance of his story in relation to the early nineteenth century interest in Timbuctoo, and to the literary genres of the slave narrative and the Barbary Captivity narrative.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Bibliography	lvii
Acknowledgments	lxv
The Narrative of Robert Adams
Contents	4	(4)
Introductory Details Respecting Adams	8	(14)
Advertisement to the Map	22	(4)
Chapter 1	26	(9)
Chapter 2	35	(14)
Chapter 3	49	(10)
Chapter 4	59	(9)
Notes and Illustrations	68	(38)
Concluding Remarks	106	(19)
Appendix No. I	125	(11)
Appendix No. II	136	(11)
Contemporary Essays
``Interiour of Africa'' (North American Review, May 1817)	147	(15)
``Article IX. The Narrative of Robert Adams.'' A review essay by Jared Sparks (North American Review, July 1817)	162	(21)
Index	183