Black History

[1850]. Early. Hard Cover. Poor. 19cm x 12cm (7.5" x 5"), Reading Copy. Funky amateur rebinding. Pages fragile, foxed, several with knicks & tears. Title page, frontispiece and chapter one (of 20 chapters) are missing. Top of page 132, lower 1/3 of p.69 & bottom of p.21 missing. Ten full-page plates still somewhat present. Poor condition., , Bibb's narrative is one of the best slave narrative and is also one of the scarcer. Bibb was born in Kentucky and was sold several times in a variety of states. The first time he successfully escaped from slavery, he returned to Kentucky to rescue his wife and child but was recaptured. His second successful escape was from a Cherokee owner in Kansas or perhaps Oklahoma. He then became an anti-slavery lecturer in Detroit but relocated to Canada after passage of the Fugitive Slave Act.  Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Columbus, Ohio : J & H Miller, 1858. 2nd Edition. Hard Cover. Good. Second Edition. 4to - over 9 " - 12" tall., Full Morocco Leather rebacked with original spine. Original marbled end paper with rebacking tape and marbled page edges. Now a solid, tight and complete copy with a steel-engraved frontis view of Havana Harbor and 8 full-page tinted views and 4 other full-page woodcut views. Externally only good due to internally light to medium foxing throughout except title page and frontis of Havana which is heavily foxed. , , CONTENTS OVERVIEW - ANCIENT SLAVERYEARLY EXISTENCE OF SLAVERY IN THE WORLD. - THE MOSAIC INSTITUTIONS IN REGARD TO SLAVERY. - HEBREWS, HOW REDUCED TO SERVITUDE. - THE JUBILEE. - DISTINCTION BETWEEN NATIVE AND FOREIGN SLAVE. - VOLUNTARY SLAVES: THE MERCINARII OF THE ROMANS; THE PRODIGALS OR DEBTORS SLAVES; THE DELINQUENTS; THE ENTHUSIASTS. - INVOLUNTARY SLAVES; THE PRISONERS OF WAR, AND CAPTIVES STOLEN IN PEACE, WITH THE CHILDREN AND DESCENDANTS OF BOTH. - VOLUNTARY SLAVERY INTRODUCED BY DECREE OF THE ROMAN SENATE. - SLAVERY IN ROME: CONDITION OF THE SLAVES; CRUELTY TO THE OLD AND SICK; PRISONS FOR SLAVES; SICILY; SERVILE WAR AND BREAKING UP OF PRISONS. - PIRACY ESTEEMED HONORABLE BY THE EARLY GREEKS. - PIRATICAL EXPEDITIONS TO PROCURE SLAVES. - CAUSES OF THE GRADUAL EXTINCTION OF SLAVERY IN EUROPE. - ORIGIN OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE BY THE PORTUGUESE. - FOLLOWED BY MOST OF THE MARITIME NATIONS OF EUROPEplus a 10-page appendix covering the THE NOTORIOUS AND famous Dred Scott case and decision. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Auburn, New York: W. J. Moses, Printer, 1869. 1st. Hard Cover. Very Good. Very Good+. First Edition. 12mo - 7.25" x 5". Frontispiece engraving of Harriet Tubman. Original dark red boards with guild lettering. 132pp. (including list of subscribers)The cover very bright, the contents fresh. This book is very susceptible to foxing but this copy has been spared. Spine gilt faded, small crack to the top third of inner front hinge. A very nice copy. , , An important biography of Tubman, written to provide funds to help support her in her old age. Tubman, born into slavery, was a key figure in the Underground Railway, helping in the escape from slavery of untold numbers of fugitive African Americans. The preface includes letters from Frederick Douglass, Wendell Phillips, etc.. Quite scarce now, particularly so in a nice copy. HSP/LCP Afro-Americana Catalog 1467; Blockson 3950; Work p. 476. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Author signed (1927 receipt inside book)

8vo (9 1/4" x 6 1/2"); 248pp. In good condition overall: surfaces, edges and corners of boards and spine show soiling, spotting, scuffing and wear; gilt lettering and decoration is rubbed (more so on spine than on front board) but is still intact; front board and copyright page are somewhat loosened from spine but remain attached; spine itself is tight with no loose pages; interior is clean and tight, with light foxing and tanning to pages from age; front endpaper has name and address of former owner, Mrs. Florida Ward, in script at upper right corner.

AN ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHT OF THIS OFFERING IS THAT IT INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL RECEIPT MADE OUT TO MRS. FLORIDA WARD AND SIGNED BY THE HALLIE Q. BROWN
Hardcover with gilt-stamped dark green tweed cloth boards and spine; front board has silhouette of Martha Payne, Mother of Daniel A. Payne, Founder of Wilberforce University.  Illustrated with silhouettes, engravings and black and white photos of the women presented and discussed.   
 Hallie Quinn Brown (b. March 10, 1850 - d. September 16, 1949). Educator, lecturer, clubwoman, reformer.  Daughter of former slaves, Hallie Brown grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Chatham, Ontario. She graduated from Wilberforce University in Ohio and taught in schools in Mississippi and South Carolina. In 1885 she became dean of Allen University in South Carolina, and studied at the Chautauqua Lecture School. She taught public school in Dayton, Ohio, for four yeas, and then was appointed lady principal (dean of women) of Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, working with Booker T. Washington.  From 1893 to 1903, she served as professor of elocution at Wilberforce University, but served on a limited basis as she lectured and organized, traveling frequently. She helped promote the Colored Woman's League which became part of the National Association of Colored Women. In Great Britain, where she spoke to popular acclaim on African American life, she made several appearances before Queen Victoria, including tea with the Queen in July, 1889. She also spoke for temperance groups and represented the United States at the International Congress of Women, meeting in London in 1899. She took up the cause of woman suffrage and spoke on the topic of full citizenship for women as well as civil rights for black Americans. In 1925 she protested segregation of the Washington (DC) Auditorium being used for the All-American Musical Festival of the International Council of Women, threatening that all black performers would boycott the event if segregated seating were not ended. Two hundred black entertainers did boycott the event and black participants left in response to her speech.  She served as president of several organizations after she retired from teaching, including the Ohio Federation of Colored Women's Clubs and the National Association of Colored Women. She served as a representative of the Women's Parent Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church at the World Missionary Conference in Scotland in 1910. She helped raise funds for Wilberforce University and helped initiate the drive to raise funds to preserve Frederick Douglass' home in Washington, DC. In 1924 she supported the Republican Party, speaking for Warren Harding's nomination at the Republican Party convention where she took the opportunity to speak up for civil rights. She published a few books, mostly connected with public speaking or famous women and men.

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Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Cincinnati, Ohio: Western Track Society, 1876. 1st. Hard Cover. Very Good. 712pp, Rebound with new leather spine, gold type marble boards, new end papers. Very Good+ with inside pages very good. Double engraved frontispiece of the author and his wife, with the tissue guard present. Autobiography with an emphasis on the author's efforts to help runaway slaves to freedom. Scarce now 1st edition. , , Coffin was the reputed president of the underground railroad, this work being a brief history of the labours of a lifetime on behalf of the slave.Howes C-540 Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Boston: Oliver Ditson Co. / The Musicians ND [1905], [1905]. 1st. Soft Cover. Very Good. ix, [5], 127 pp. 121/2x91/2, green cloth-backed light green-gray printed paper wrapper covers , front cover stamped in black, spine lettered in gilt. Spine leaning, ends and corners lightly bumped; contents a bit darkened, front hinge cracked nearly through; about very good, , Preface by Booker T. Washington. With music scores throughout; photograph portrait of Coleridge-Taylor. Early spirituals by Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), an important African-American composer, who studied at the Royal College of Music under Stanford, and later taught and conducted the orchestra at the Croydon Conservatory of Music. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Niagara,: Niagara Historical Society, 1897. 1st. Soft Cover. Good. 24pp plus light brown paper covers. 21.5 cm x 15cm (8.5" x 6") With chipping and pieces lost on the front and back front edges. Damp stain on top right side of pages. Good condition., , Slave Rescue in Niagara, Sixty Years Ago story is included with this book which was reprinted in 1917. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

G. SCHIRMER, INC., [nd] , [1914]. 1st. Soft Cover. Very Good. A RELIGIOUS CHARACTERISTIC IN THE FORM OF AN ANTHEM FOR EIGHT PART CHORUS OF MIXED VOICES.260cm x 175cm ; 8 pages. Binding is Softcover. Previous owner name (Shott) written in top left., , Dett was born in a community of fugitive slaves in Niagara Falls, Ontario, earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin Conservatory and continued his studies at Columbia, Pennsylvania and Harvard. He toured as a concert pianist, composed and arranged, and was music director at Hampton Institute. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Boston: John P. Jewett and Company, 1856. 1st. Hard Cover. Good. 8vo., xii + 387pp., Original decorative stamped red cloth binding with very readable gilt text on spine. Binding shows medium wear, including chipping and some warping, and soiling. Text blocks are soiled., , Related by Themselves, with an Account of the History and Condition of the Colored Population of Upper Canada.,SLAVERY CANADA REFUGEES, By the 1850's there were about 30,000 ex-slaves living in Canada. Most of them had come from the United States by way of the Underground Railroad. Benjamin Drew wrote A North-Side View hoping it would give the cause of emancipation "a new impulse." Traveling to Canada, he gathered first hand accounts as he went along. During his journey "he managed to transcribe the oral narratives of some 117 fugitive slaves." Among these former slaves was Harriet Tubman, whose narrative begins: "I grew up like a neglected weed, - ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it." One of the best 19th century books about the fugitive slaves who went to Canada. Dumond, p. 48. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Toronto : William Briggs, 1889. 1st. Hard Cover. Very Good. 8vo. 304 p. : ill. ; 19 cm. A slight rippling to the cover and minor edgewear, but a generally very good copy., , Broken shackles by Glenelg. [pseud.], with portrait of "Old Man Henson,"in his slavery days called "Charley Chance," and a number of illustrations and the front. of "Old Man Henson," . Quite rare.In 1889, 'Broken Shackles' was published in Toronto under the pseudonym of Glenelg. This very unique book, containing the recollections of a resident of Owen Sound, Ontario, an African American known as Old Man Henson, was one of the very few books that documented the journey to Canada from the perspective of a person of African descent. Henson was a great storyteller and the spark of life shines through as he describes the horrors of slavery and his goal of escaping its tenacious hold. His times as a slave in Maryland, his refuge in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and his ultimate freedom in Canada are vividly depicted through his remembrances. The stories of Henson's family, friends and enemies will both amuse and shock the readers of this book. It is interesting to discover that his observations of life's struggles and triumphs are as relevant today as they were in his time. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Orwell, Ohio: H. U. Johnson, 1896. 2nd Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good. Small octavo, vi, [4], [9]-194 pp., portrait frontis. + 8 plates; original pictorial brown cloth. Frontis of Johnson; illustrated with 8 sketches and b&w photographs. , , Contains a good deal of information about the Underground Railroad in Ohio, giving stories and anecdotes as well as details about places and persons. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Buffalo: H.U. Johnson, printed by C.W. Multon, 1894. 1st Edition. Hard Cover. Good. 12mo, 7" x 5", 194 pages, light brown pictorial cloth with black type and illustration on cover, cloth soiled and corners bumped and worn. Binding loose at frontis and title page. Smudge on tile page. illustrated with 8 black & white pages including the frontis. Few text smudges inside. Condition good only.First edition ("First 1000"). Numerous pen and ink drawings and two photos., ,  Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Orwell, Ohio: H. U. Johnson, 1896. 2nd Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good. Signed Association copy. Small octavo, vi, [4], [9]-194 pp.,portrait frontis. + 8 plates; original pictorial brown cloth. Frontis of Johnson; illustrated with 8 sketches and b&w photographs. Starting to crack at the title page. Very good.Previous owners' library label on inside front end paper. Inscribed gift copy from Author to his nephew., "Homer E. Johnson, from his Uncle Homer U. after whom he was named. My birth day, May 20, 1897., Contains a good deal of information about the Underground Railroad in Ohio, giving stories and anecdotes as well as details about places and persons.  Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

New York: Sinclair Toussey and I. Lane, 1863. 11th. Soft Cover. Good. Size: 7-5/8 x 4-1/2 inches Includes the Appendix about the Civil War. Also Includes the Publisher's Preface & Press Reviews of this Book, etc. No previous owners' markings. There are no foxing spots, and most pages are bright and clean although some pages in the last half of the book have a very-faint tan-colored dampstain to part of the page, which also appears as slight darkening to part of the back cover. The pages are securely bound to each other and to the cover. The cover's spine has a short, 2-inch to the spine's fold. Complete with the Original Paper Cover. Overall Good to Very Good condition., , ...a landmark Presbyterian anti-slavery publication.This title is uncommon in any 19th century edition. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

1875. No binding. Very Good. Very good condition. 9.75" x 6" 15 pages disbound from a book (p.579 - p.592), , Original printed speech of 1792 was 32 pp Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Toronto: Rowsell & Hutchinson, 1876. 2nd. Hard Cover. Very Good. Presentation copy. Green Cloth gilt. xii, 203pp., frontispiece, illustrated. Some modest rubbing to the spinal extremities. Inside very clean. A very good+ and attractive author signed presentation copy.Handwritten note from 1918 on back enpapaers., Presented to William ???? Esq.With extremely high ????By the Author January 1 of 1886, First edition published in 1875.Ross was very active in the Underground Railroad in Canada, the border states and the South, particularly in New Orleans, Alabama and Kentucky. He was imprisoned for inciting slaves to escape and consulted on numerous occasions with both John Brown and, later, with Abraham Lincoln. This edition includes letters of commendation for the book (not included in the first edition) from Harriet Beecher Stowe, J.G. Whittier, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lydia Maria Child, Mary Brown (widow of John), William Lloyd Garrison, Gerrit Smith, Lucretia Mott, Wendell Phillips, William Gladstone, Guisuippe Garibaldi and many others. Also includes sentiments contributed exclusively to the second edition from William Cullen Bryant and William Lloyd Garrison. Work p.340, Blockson Collection 9890.  Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Toronto: Rowsell & Hutchinson, 1876. 2nd. Hard Cover. Very Good. Presentation copy. Brown cloth gilt. 203pp., frontispiece, illustrated. Scattered foxing, mostly to the first and last few pages, some modest rubbing to the spinal extremities and a small, unobtrusive paint splash on the rear board, a sound and attractive very good or better copy.Ross was very active in the Underground Railroad in Canada, the border states and the South, particularly in New Orleans, Alabama and Kentucky. He was imprisoned for inciting slaves to escape and consulted on numerous occasions with both John Brown and, later, with Abraham Lincoln. , Inscribed to John Brown, Jr. This copy is Inscribed by the author to the son of John Brown: "Presented to John Brown, Jr. with the Author's affectionate regards. Toronto, Canada. April 2, 1878." As the publication of this book postdated John Brown's death in 1859, this copy represents an excellent association to his so., First edition published in 1875. This edition includes letters of commendation for the book (not included in the first edition) from Harriet Beecher Stowe, J.G. Whittier, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lydia Maria Child, Mary Brown (widow of John), William Lloyd Garrison, Gerrit Smith, Lucretia Mott, Wendell Phillips, William Gladstone, Guisuippe Garibaldi and many others. Also includes sentiments contributed exclusively to the second edition from William Cullen Bryant and William Lloyd Garrison. John Brown, Jr. took over the leadership of his family and continued his father's activities after the latter's death in 1859. Work p.340, Blockson Collection 9890. Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

New York: Robert M. DeWitt, [1859]. 2nd Edition. Soft Cover. Poor/Paper Wraps. Tall 8vo. 9 3/4" x 6 1/4", [2], [7]-108pp., Pictorial wrappers with subsequent sewing. Front cover soiled with some tears; paper spine largely gone; title page soiled. Quite rough, tears to many of the inside pages, but quite scarce in any condition. Compiled just after Brown's trial and execution, this work reproduces facts and rumors, trial transcripts, insurrection notices, and John Brown's will. No illustrations other than image on front cover. Compiled from official and authentic sources, including Cooke's Confession, and all the Incidents of the Execution. , This second edition differs from the first only in the inclusion of advertisements and the change in the title of the word "Conviction" to "Execution" on the title page and front wrapper., "A madman with a method, [Brown] formed a vague project to establish a republic of fugitive slaves in the Appalachians, whence to wage war on the slave states... On the night of 16 October 1859, leading an armed troop of thirteen white men and five Negroes, John Brown seized the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, killed the major of the town, and took prisoner some of the leading people" (Morison, 601). Published in New York, this work is unique in that it reflects mainly the astonishment of the public at Brown's act at a time when opinion was only beginning to solidify into a mandate for war. Just a year later, in his famous Cooper Union speech of 1860, Lincoln said of John Brown's attempt, "An enthusiast broods over the oppression of a people till he fancies himself commissioned by Heaven to liberate them... which ends in little else than his own execution." Thoreau was somewhat less ambivalent in his support, restating and agreeing with Brown's contention that "man has a perfect right to interfere by force with the slaveholder, in order to rescue the slave" (Richardson, 372). Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada

Charleston: John Russell. Harper and Calvo, Printers. 32 Chalmers-street. Charleston. , 1855. 2nd. Hard Cover. Very Good. 16mo, cloth, stamped in blind and gilt, 108pp including 16pp introduction and 22pp offering 45 footnotes to the poems. Measures 7.5 by 5.25 inches. This is a very nice copy. The original embossed cloth with gilt has a little fading. A little light foxing mostly to the end papers. , Has the armorial coat of arms bookplate of John Julius Pringle. , Scarce, 2nd edition (1855)An early tract of imitation Dryden/Pope era poetry extolling the virtues of slavery and the evils of abolitionist beliefs relating to the socio-economic practices of the period in the American South. . A defense of southern slavery in the form of a story in verse.(The institution of slavery, the author observes, has made the slave himself "from a savage, an orderly and efficient laborer. It supports him in comfort and peace. It restrains his vices. It improves his mind, morals and manners. It instructs him in Christian knowledge ")This is an important work in the history of South Carolina literature. Written in the defense of Slavery during the buildup to the civil war, it is still often quoted to this day.SABIN 28424 Read More

Lord Durham Rare Books Inc. - Canada