Equiano's Travels

Equiano's Travels is a famous slave memoir of the 18th century, recounting his life and times from Africa to the West Indies. It provides a rare and significant insight into the realities of the transatlantic slave trade and paved the way for its abolition in the British Empire.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 01 February 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The most famous slave memoir of the 18th century, Equiano's Travels recounts the extraordinary life and times of Olaudah Equiano, from his early life in Africa to his struggle for freedom in the West Indies. Born in the Kingdom of Benin, Equiano was only eleven when he was kidnapped and taken to the West Indies, where he was sold into slavery. His report on the horrors that followed whilst imprisoned on slave ships and on land offers a rare and significant insight into the realities of the transatlantic slave trade. First published in London in 1789, Equiano's memoirs were an instant success and paved the way for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Abridged and edited by Paul Edwards, Equiano's memoirs are a powerful and terrifying read that offers a glimpse into the lives of enslaved people. The Guardian describes them as "central to our understanding of Atlantic slavery," while the Times calls them a "gripping account from 1789 of life as a slave." The New York Times describes them as "a powerful and terrifying read."

Weight: 290g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781035900596