We love the varying sizes of flowers on the faded purple ribbon-embossed cloth on our copy of Abolitionist Abigail Mott’s Biographical Sketches and Interesting Anecdotes of Persons of Colour (New York, 1837). #PublishersBindingThursday
The first edition of Mott’s Biographical Sketches, which includes an account of Olaudah Equiano abridged from his 1789 narrative, was published in 1826 as a textbook for African Free School students and was the first American work celebrating African Americans. There would be nothing comparable published in the United States until the works of African American writers of the mid-19th century.
Mott, Abigail. Biographical sketches and interesting anecdotes of persons of colour New York : Mahlon Day. 1837


















