Historically Important Slave Book / SOLD

Historically Important Slave Book - Inventory Number: HIS 262 / SOLD

Ball, Charles. Fifty Years in Chains; or The Life of an American Slave.

New York: H. Dayton, 1859. First Edition under this Title.

Octavo, original blind-stamped brown cloth, gilt spine title, 408 pages.

Originally published in 1836 under the title Slavery in the United States, this is the first edition issued under the now more widely known title Fifty Years in Chains. One of the most powerful and harrowing first-hand accounts of American slavery, Charles Ball recounts his life as an enslaved man in Maryland, South Carolina, and Georgia during the early 19th century. His narrative offers a vivid and unflinching portrayal of the brutality, injustice, and psychological toll of slavery, while also highlighting the precarious nature of a slave’s existence, which was often dictated by the character and whims of his masters.

The work stands as a seminal abolitionist text, comparable in impact to the narratives of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs and remains an essential document for understanding the lived experience of enslaved individuals in antebellum America. This 1859 edition was issued during the height of sectional tensions, just two years before the outbreak of the Civil War, further amplifying its historical significance.

Condition: Light rubbing and edgewear to boards, spine ends gently frayed, binding tight; light foxing and toning to pages as typical. A solid, presentable copy in original cloth.

A foundational slave narrative—raw, introspective, and profoundly important.

Comes housed in 12 x 16 riker display case with red velvet and descriptive card.

Inventory Number: HIS 262 / SOLD