The Bondwoman's Narrative

The "New York Times" bestseller that is possibly the first novel written by an African-American woman is now in trade paperback. "Immensely entertaining and illuminating."--"New York Times Book Review."

The Bondwoman's Narrative tells the story of Hannah Crafts, a young slave working on a wealthy North Carolina plantation, who runs away in a bid for freedom up North. Her compelling story provides a fascinating view of American life in the mid-1800s and the literary conventions of the time. Written in the 1850s by a runaway slave, The Bondwoman's Narrative is a provocative literary landmark and a significant historical event that will captivate a diverse audience.
The Bondwoman's Narrative was published in Warner hardcover (0-446-53008-5) in 4/02, and was a New York Times bestseller with over 140,000 copies in print.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the chair of Harvard's Afro American studies program, co-general editor of The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (W.W. Norton & Co., 1996), co-editor of Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (Basic Books, 10/99, and Microsoft CD-ROM), and editor of Our Nig (Vintage Books, 1983).
This trade paperback edition of The Bondswoman's Narrative ties in with the 4/03 Warner release of a special hardcover facsimile edition, which will give readers first-time access to the original 19th-century manuscript as written by Hannah Crafts. It will feature Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s original introduction explaining the manuscript's provenance and historical importance.