Frederick Douglass’s celebrated memoir is among the most influential works of the nineteenth-century abolitionist movement in the United States. Beginning with his birth on a Maryland plantation in 1818, Douglass’s account records the tyranny and brutality of his life in slavery until his ultimate escape to New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the age of twenty.

Published in 1845—just seven years after his escape—Douglass’s narrative sold five thousand copies in its first four months in print. His story’s impact—then and now—makes Douglass a key figure in the fight for African American freedom and equality in the United States.

Revised edition: Previously published as Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, this edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.