Boston: Geo. W. Light, 1834. First Edition. Publisher’s boards with printed paper label; engraved frontispiece portrait of the subject; contemporary owner’s signature; some foxing and page staining; an excellent copy on a custom clamshell box. The author acknowledges that Massachusetts was involved in the slave trade, but that it was free of slavery, as was much of the North, late in the 18th century. Thatcher memorializes Wheatley as an example of genius not being “limited, by the Creator of Man to any color, country, or condition.” He notes that the “ungenerous contempt” in which slaves were held was due to their being “victims of the avarice of the civilized world.” A rare book, especially in this condition.

[Book #18726P]