The Columbian Orator: Containing a Variety of Original and Selected Pieces, together with Rules; Calculated to Improve Youth and Others in the Ornamental and Useful Art of Eloquence.

vi, 300 pp. 12mo. Full leather. Gilt titles & rules. The book used by Frederick Douglass to teach himself reading, writing, and elocution skills - he describes in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass how he acquired a copy at the age of twelve. First published in 1797, The Columbian Orator is a collection of essays, poems, and dialogues. It was popular for use in schools, and was reprinted several times during the first half of the 19th century. Since its connection to the development and accomplishments of Douglass, it has been recognized as a symbol of the power of language, and an artifact of the history of human rights activism.