Charles Bell - Fifty Years in Chains; or, the Life of an American Slave

New York, H. Dayton, 1860. Cloth. The very scarce abridged edition of Charles Ball's account of his life under slavery in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century America. A very scarce abridged edition of the first hand account of Charles Ball's experiences as an enslaved man, and later fugitive, in America.First published in 1836 under the title 'Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Charles Ball, a Black Man', prepared by Isaac Fisher from Ball's verbal narration, this provides a fascinating account of life under slavery.This abridged edition was first published in 1858, and at forty or so pages shorter than the original edition, omits some passages including the account of the religion of Ball's African grandfather and all references to Ball's participation in the War of 1812.With the contemporary inscription 'John C Bayley, Myrtle St, Brooklyn 1862' to the title page.A very scarce and incredibly informative narrative of the life of African American slaves in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, published shortly prior to the 13th Amendment. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Bumping to back strip head and tail. Fading to back strip and board perimeters. Rear board hinge starting, with board holding firm. Internally, firmly bound. Former owner's inscription to title page. Light spotting and handling marks throughout. Neat repairs to closed tears of pages 265-268. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .

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