Mott a Bigail Comp (1 results)

8vo (8" x 5"), original brown floral-patterned cloth, renewed spine with gilt title label. iv, 260 pp. CONDITION: Good, some wear to extremities, contents foxed. Second American edition, enlarged, first published in 1826. Mott, a prominent Quaker abolitionist and women's rights advocate who was active in the Underground Railroad, drew on a variety of sources to compile this book, which was intended to circulate in schools and teach children about the evils of slavery and the ability of African Americans to educate themselves and become productive members of American society. In addition to highlighting well-known figures including Phillis Wheatley, Toussaint L'Ouverture, Benjamin Banneker, and Captain Paul Cuffee, Mott focuses on everyday people-both Black and Indigenous-who rose in the world with dignity thanks to their hard work and thrift. Numerous "Interesting Anecdotes" point to the moral virtues and religious convictions of ordinary people navigating hardship. The present 1837 edition features additional biographies and anecdotes, as well as a new section of "Pieces in Poetry." Abigail Mott (1795-1846) began the task of arranging biographies of people of color in the 1820s and published the first edition of Biographical Sketches in 1826. The Mott family included several notable Quaker abolitionists, chiefly Abigail's brother James (with whom she co-wrote a book on female education) and his wife Lucretia Mott. Biographical Sketches was funded by grammarian Lindley Murray, who died in the year of its initial publication. Subsequent editions and adaptations-including the present volume-were funded by Murray's estate, which supported "books calculated to promote piety and virtue, and the truth of Christianity." After the Civil War and thirty years after Mott's death, her work was continued by Mary Sutton Wood, who published Narratives of Colored Americans (1877), heavily based on Biographical Sketches, with Mott receiving posthumous credit. REFERENCES: Sabin 51111; Afro-Americana 6901; Blockson 9221.…