209 300
372
●
HARPER, FRANCES ELLEN W; MARTIN R. DELANY, ET AL.
The Anglo-
African Magazine.
February, March, May, June, August and September, of 1859. Tall 4to,
original printed wrappers: consecutively paginated; February and September issues lack
rear wrappers; March issue with diagonal chip to the last page of text, with loss thereto.
Some chipping to the edges of all issues.
SUBSCRIBER
’
S NAME OF CHARLES BUSTILL ON
FRONT COVERS
.
SHOULD BE SEEN
.
New York: Thomas Hamilton, 1859
[6,000/9,000]
A BROKEN RUN
,
BUT A REMARKABLE SURVIVAL OF AN EARLY AND NOTABLY RARE AFRICAN
-
AMERICAN PUBLICATION
.
These six issues of this fragile magazine have the added distinction of
having belonged to Charles Bustill, distinguished conductor on the underground railroad. Bustill (1816-
1890), was Paul Robeson’s father-in-law, and prominent in Philadelphia’s free black community.
The Anglo-African Magazine, was short-lived but within its pages were contributions from some of
the nineteenth century’s most important black writers. The first portion of “The Two Offers,” by dis-
tinguished author Frances Ellen Harper appears in the September issue. It is the first published short
story by an African American woman. Explorer and author Martin R. Delany’s serialized “Blake, or
the Huts of America,” the second novel by an African American man appeared in the January
through June issues. Articles by Edward Blyden, James McCune Smith, Bishop Daniel Payne, and
William C. Nell. Danky, #450.