John Gabriel Stedman

This abridgment of the Prices' acclaimed 1988 critical edition is based on Stedman's original, handwritten manuscript, which offers a portrait at considerable variance with the 1796 classic. The unexpurgated text, presented here with extensive notes and commentary, constitutes one of the richest and most evocative accounts ever written of colonial life--and one of the strongest indictments ever to appear against New World slavery. -- Publishers description.

John Gabriel Stedman, of Holland, was a lieutenant-colonel in the Dutch military and served in Surinam (Dutch Guiana) where he married a mulatto slave named Joanna and fathered a son. This compilation of excerpts from Stedman's narrative concern Joanna and their son, and begins with Stedman and Joanna's first meeting while she was a slave, their marriage, early life together, difficulty in securing freedom for Joanna and her son. Stedman praises Joanna's personality and sweet nature, describing instances of her loyalty, concern, and devotion during his absences and illnesses. Through Stedman's efforts, both were eventually freed from slavery, but they remained in Surinam when he returned to Holland. In Stedman's account, Joanna refused to return to Europe with him, and he learned about her death soon after his return. Includes two poems at the end of the work, "A Negro Mother's Appeal," and "The Slave-Dealer."