"Ann Plato was the first black to publish a collection of essays, in 1841."--Newsweek

In 1841 Ann Plato's Essays; Including Biographies and Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose and Poetry appeared. Printed for the author at Hartford, Connecticut, and containing an introduction by the famous abolitionist, Reverend Dr. James W.C. Pennington, the work not only reveals much about an extraordinary black woman but also reminds us again of the city - now overshadowed by other urban centers - that was a cultural center of the new nation.

Never before reprinted outside of original publication.