The Travels of William Wells Brown: Including Narrative of William Wells Brown, a Fugitive Slave and the American Fugitive in Europe. Sketches of Pl [Hardcover]

William Wells Brown (Author), Paul Jefferson (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558760423 | ISBN-13: 978-1558760424 | Publication Date: March 1991

This is the story of two trips by a fugitive slave. One of the dramatic and poignant journey of a humiliated slave up the Mississippi to the North, into freedom. The second is a glorious voyage to Europe of the same man, now an elegant and eloquent ambassador of the abolitionists, who hobnobs with writers like Victor Hugo and moves freely in high society. His autobiography, "Narrative of William Wells Brown, A Fugitive Slave" (1845), chronicles Brown's life in bondage-disclosing aspects of slavery more various and distrubing than even the narrative of his contemporary Frederick Douglas and his pilgrim's progress north to freedom. This book is one of the most significant works of slave literature. Ten years later Brown published "The American Fugitive in Europe - Sketches of Places and People Abroad", a travel report written in the style of the best European journalism. Both are included in this volume. Both the autobiography and the travel account are classic examples of 19th century first-person prose narratives.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brown was a runaway slave turned abolitionist and advocate for the rights of African Americans in the mode of Frederick Douglass. The current volume is a compendium of his two best-known literary works . The first, published in 1847p. 3 , deals with the author's life in slavery and his escape to freedom in the North. As an account of the South's peculiar institution and of one man's triumph over it, it equals Douglass's own narrative; so it is surprising that it is not better known, especially because Brown's life parallels his in so many ways. The second work is an entertaining tale of the author's lengthy sojourn in Europe in the early 1850s, where he was sent by abolitionists to lobby support for their cause by being a living example, dispelling Southern propaganda about the innate inferiority of blacks. While in Europe, Brown freely rubs elbows with Victor Hugo and members of the British aristocracy and literati. Editor Jefferson, associate professor of history at Haverford College, has omitted several chapters of American Fugitive that he believes would be less interesting to modern readers. He provides a useful introduction and liberally footnotes the text of both works.

Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 235 pages
• Publisher: Markus Wiener Pub (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558760423
• ISBN-13: 978-1558760424
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,304,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A few Reviews for the book, July 11, 2006

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This review is from: The Travels of William Wells Brown: Including Narrative of William Wells Brown, a Fugitive Slave and the American Fugitive in Europe. Sketches of Pl (Hardcover)

"The first . . . equals Douglass' own narrative; so it is surprising that it is not better known. The second is an entertaining tale of the author's lengthy sojourn in Europe."
-Publishers Weekly

"One of the 50 best books by and about African-Americans."
-Blackboard * African-American Book News

"William Wells Brown was born a slave in 1814. He died 70 years later in Boston, Massachusetts, a renowned anti-slavery lecturer, professional man of letters, and practicing physician. "
-The Washington Post

Brown was a runaway slave turned abolitionist and advocate for the rights of African Americans in the mode of Frederick Douglass. The current volume is a compendium of his two best-known literary works. The first, published in 1847, deals with the author's life in slavery and his escape to freedom in the North. As an account of the South's peculiar institution and of one man's triumph over it, it equals Douglass's own narrative; so it is surprising that it is not better known, especially because Brown's life parallels his in so many ways. The second work is an entertaining tale of the author's
lengthy sojourn in Europe in the early 1850s, where he was sent by abolitionists to lobby support for their cause by being a living example, dispelling Southern propaganda about the innate inferiority of blacks. While in Europe, Brown freely rubs elbows with Victor Hugo and members of the British aristocracy and literati. Editor Jefferson, associate professor of history at Haverford College, has omitted several chapters of American Fugitive that he believes would be less interesting to modern readers. He provides a useful introduction and liberally footnotes the text of both works.
- Publishers Weekly