Frederick Douglass Papers, Volume 3, Series 2

"Life and Times" was first published in 1881, toward the end of Douglass' public career. Although overshadowed in popularity by the shorter "Narrative" (1845), Douglass clearly deemed this comprehensive treatment of his life his most important autobiography. This edition resurrects a long neglected milestone in African American literature. In this volume, Douglass revisits the events of the earlier volumes – detailing his life in slavery, his escape by way of the Underground Railroad, and his rise in the abolitionist movement – but within a different historical context and with the greater reflection afforded by his intellectual maturity.