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Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (title page and front matter)

Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (title page and front matter)

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    Phillis Wheatley

    14.9 cm x 9.0 cm

    Walpole, New Hampshire: printed for Thomas & Thomas by David Newhall, 1802
    Selection is comprised of title page, preface, advertisement, and printed letter, unumbered pages 1, 3, 5, 7. (Blank pages 2, 4 and 6 have been excluded.)


    This is the front matter for the 1802 edition of Phillis Wheatley's book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. It includes an "attestation" signed by some leading male citizens of Boston, including the governor and the lieutenant-governor, certifying that Phillis did indeed write the poems. There is also a letter by her owner, John Wheatley, giving a brief history of the acquisition of her writing skills.