Liberia; or, Mr. Peyton's Experiments

New York: Harper and Brothers, 1853.

First Edition. Hardcover. Good. 12mo, pp. 304, [2], 6 ads; original cloth, spine faded, chipped at extremities, ex-library, with accession numbers on spine and a few small stamps in the text; good and sound. Hale (1788-1879), one of the first American novelists to write about slavery (in Northwood, 1827), advocated the return of freed slaves to the colony of Liberia. Mr. Peyton's Experiment portrays the misery of freed slaves' lives in the northern United States, in contrast to their peaceful and prosperous life in Liberia. A recent critic says the novel "not only narrates the founding of Liberia as a story of colonization, but.also colonizes Liberia as an imitation of America, replete with images of an open frontier, the Mayflower, and the planting of the American flag." Of particular value is the book's 58-page Appendix, which gathers "documents for the most part written by colored persons from and about Liberia" and also includes the Constitution of Liberia as well as the inaugural speech of President Roberts. BAL 6882, Sabin 29666.

Item #7686

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