London: Printed for A. Bell, Bookseller, Aldgate; and sold by Messrs. Cox and Berry, King-Street, Boston, 1773. First Edition of the first book to be published by an African-American. Contemporary (and obviously original) full calf; rebacked, lacking the first blank; minor page stains and tears; an excellent copy; rare, complete with the oft-missing frontispiece. Wheatley was born around 1753, probably in Senegal, and was captured by slavers and sold in Boston in 1761 to John and Susanna Wheatley, who named her for the ship that transported her, the Phillis. Fortunately for her, the Wheatleys were kind and enlightened masters, and she was educated and encouraged to write, publishing her first poem at the age of twelve. Seeking a publisher for her manuscript, the Wheatley’s son accompanied her to London, where the Countess of Huntingdon, a family friend, took an interest in her work and financed this publication. The author was freed later that year, and in 1776, during the siege of Boston, appeared before General Washington. The death of the Wheatleys led to an unfortunate marriage with a free black man who went bankrupt, and she died in childbirth in 1784. A planned second book was never published; three American editions of Poems were issued later in the 18th century.

[Book #16650P]