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    Twelve Years A Slave

    Written by
    Northup, Solomon, American, 1808 - 1875
    Published by
    Derby and Miller, American, 1848 - 1853
    Date
    1853
    On View
    Concourse 3, C3 053
    Exhibition
    Slavery and Freedom
    Medium
    ink on paper with gold, cloth, and cardboard
    Dimensions
    H x W x D (Closed): 7 3/4 × 5 1/2 × 1 5/16 in. (19.7 × 14 × 3.4 cm)
    H x W x D (Open): 7 3/4 × 11 1/2 × 4 1/8 in. (19.7 × 29.2 × 10.5 cm)
    H x W x D (open at 90 degrees): 7 3/4 × 6 × 6 1/4 in. (19.7 × 15.2 × 15.9 cm)
    H x W x D (open at 60 degrees): 7 3/4 × 5 3/4 × 5 3/4 in. (19.7 × 14.6 × 14.6 cm)
    Description
    This book is a first edition, seventeenth thousand printing copy of “Twelve Years A Slave Narrative of Solomon Northup, A Citizen of New York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853, and Rescued in 1853, From a Common Plantation Near the Red River, in Louisiana." The book has a brown cloth binding. The exterior spine is embossed with two lines running across the top and bottom of the spine. The title of the book has been embossed in gilt lettering [TWELVE/YEARS/A/SLAVE] across the top third of the spine and is surrounded by engraved flourishes. The name of the publishers [DARBY & MILLER] is embossed in gilt across the bottom of the spine. The front and back cover boards have been embossed with identical designs: two flourishes within two rectangles. The book has yellow end papers, a dedication to Harriet Beecher Stowe, a quote by Cowpee, an editor’s preface, twenty-two chapters and an appendix. The frontispiece is a portrait of Solomon Northup seated on a bench with his arms crossed. A facsimile of his signature is below the picture with a caption that reads, “IN HIS PLANTATION SUIT.” Three hundred and thirty-six pages with seven black and white plates.
    Place printed
    Auburn, Cuyahoga County, New York, United States, North and Central America
    Place depicted
    New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
    Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Movement
    Abolitionist movement
    Type
    narratives
    hardcover books
    Topic
    American South
    Antislavery
    Caricature and cartoons
    Domestic slave trade
    Free communities of color
    Law
    Literature
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2014.262
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public Domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd537167978-c6a5-4b5c-8aad-8b8ccdd82f33
National Museum of African American History and Culture
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1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560

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