Reconstruction Era Slave Narrative "Alexander Gifford Or Vi'let's Boy: A Story Of Negro Life" First Edition 1905

Rev. Henry A. Merrill

First Edition

[African American] Merrill, Rev. Henry A. Salem, Massachusetts: Press of Newcomb & Gauss. 1905. First Edition Hardcover. 331 pages. Measures 5.75" x 8.5". Contains half a dozen black and white illustrations throughout. The book tells the story of Alexander Gifford, a young African American boy, who is taken from his mother and sold into slavery. He is then bought by a kind woman named Vi'let, who raises him as her own son. The story follows Alexander's life as he grows up and faces the challenges of living as a black person in the United States during the 19th century. Along the way, he meets other slaves, free blacks, and white abolitionists who help him on his journey. The novel explores themes of slavery, racism, family, and identity. In his preface Merrill, a white minister, states that he sought to show "the real purpose of educated negroes, just as I have seen it carried out, in their efforts to adjust themselves to their new surroundings. My Negro characters are taken from lowly cabin homes, educated in good schools, and become influential agencies among their people." From the preface: "In writing the story, I have sought to show the real purpose of most educated negroes, just as I have seen it carried out, in their efforts to adjust themselves to their new surroundings" Author's printed dedication states: "To the Educated Negroes who are giving their redeemed selves for the uplift of their people This Book is Dedicated." Portions of the text are written in a stereotypical southern black dialect. Frontispiece by the author, and three full-page plates. Red cloth stamped in white. In very good condition.

Item #20057

Price: $225.00