Escaping Bondage

Antonio T. Bly is assistant professor of history at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

Edited by Bly (Appalachian State Univ.), this collection of 18th-century runaway slave advertisements appeared in newspapers from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Selections from the newspapers (variant titles are listed in a "Note on the Newspapers" section) are arranged alphabetically and chronologically. The editor endeavors to maintain the original wording of the notices, with reprints and supplementary, related materials listed at the end of the entries. Bly's introduction guides readers through the use of the 800-plus notices as history and biography. The illustrations include nine images from the original sources. The book concludes with Thomas Jefferson's argument on behalf of a mulatto runaway; a glossary of the local language used to describe clothing and other items; a comprehensive subject index; and a name index listed by the runaways and subscribers. As a compilation of runaway slave notices in early New England, this resource will be most valuable to students and scholars. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty.

• AcknowledgmentsList of ImagesIntroductionA Note on the NoticesA Note on the NewspapersMassachusetts NoticesConnecticut NoticesRhode Island NoticesHew HampshireAppendixGlossary