This first printing is near fine, no marks, pages are tight and appear unread, the book is tight, square, and unmarked. The dust cover is unmarked, beige cloth boards, and bright gilt lettering on the spine of the book. The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts, edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr., is a landmark work in American literature. Hannah Crafts is believed to be the pseudonym of an escaped enslaved woman. The manuscript was first published in 2002, though it was written in the mid-19th century, likely in the 1850s. Gates, a prominent scholar of African American literature, acquired the manuscript at an auction in 2001, authenticated its historical origins, and brought it to public attention. The book is a fictionalized autobiographical account of the life of an enslaved woman who escapes to freedom. It is considered the first known novel written by an African American woman and possibly the first written by someone who had been enslaved.