"Born a slave in 1818 on a plantation in Maryland, Douglass taught himself to read and write. In 1845, seven years after escaping to the North, he published 'Narrative' , the first of three autobiographies. This book calmly but dramatically recounts the horrors and the accomplishments of his early years -- the daily, casual brutality of his white masters; his harrowing but successful escape. An astonishing orator and a skillful writer, Douglass became...

"Born a slave, Frederick Douglass educated himself, escaped, and made himself one of the greatest leaders in American history. His three autobiographical narratives, collected here in one volume, are now recognized as classics of both American history and American literature. Writing with the eloquence and fierce intelligence that made him a brilliantly effective spokesman for abolition and equal rights, Douglass shapes an inspiring vision of self-realization...

Presents the early life of the slave who became an abolitionist, journalist, and statesman.

A clear-sighted, carefully researched account of two surprisingly parallel lives and how they intersected at a critical moment in U.S. history.

Traces the life of the black abolitionist, from his early years in slavery to his later success as a persuasive editor, orator, and writer.

"The definitive, dramatic biography of the most important African-American of the nineteenth century: Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became the greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and writers of the era. As a young man Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major...

A brief biography of the man who escaped life as a slave in 1838 and became a great anti-slavery orator and advisor to President Abraham Lincoln.

Discusses how a former slave and an outspoken woman, who came from two different worlds, shared deep-seated beliefs in equality and the need to fight for it.