Books by William Wells Brown

The first novel by an African-American, this dramatic tale describes the fate of a child fathered by Thomas Jefferson with one of his slaves. Although born into slavery, the author escaped bondage to become a prominent reformer and historian. An emotionally powerful depiction of slavery, racial conflict in the antebellum South.

"The Black man: his antecedents, his genius, and his achievements was originally published in 1865"--Title page verso.

Originally published in 1853, "Clotel" is one of the first novels by an African American. In it, Brown treats the themes of gender, race and slavery in distinctive ways, highlighting the mutability of identity, as well as the absurdities and cruelties of slavery.