A Tribute for the Negro: being a Vindication of the Moral Intellectual, and Religious Capabilities of the Coloured Portion of Mankind by Armistead, Wilson - 1848

Manchester: William Irwin, 1848. First Edition. Leather. Very Good. 8vo. Deluxe edition with two extra (twelve total) full-page engravings with tissue-guards. xxv, 564 pp plus 2 pages of advertisements. Black morocco with gilt decorations and lettering. All edges gilt. Text printed within an engraved border. Expertly rebacked with original spine laid down. Corners strengthened. Refreshed endpapers. Edges of first and last two leaves archivally repaired. Occasional light marginal dampstain. A very important anti-slavery work that argues for the intellectual capabilities of blacks. Includes excerpts from works by people of African descent combined with a collection of short biographical sketches and portraits including Frederick Douglas, Cinque, James Pennington, Toussaint, and more. Scarce. As of 2016 no other copies are for sale in the trade, and ABPC and the Rare Book Hub show only four deluxe editions with all twelve engravings have sold at auction in the last 100 years. OCLC lists copies with all 12 illustrations at four institutions (two in the U.S.).