Solomon Northup (born c.1807) was an American abolitionist and author. Born free to a freed slave and a free African American woman, he was a professional violinist, farmer and landowner until he was offered a job as a musician in Washington D.C., where he was drugged and kidnapped by slavers. He was sold to a painter in New Orleans and remained in bondage for 12 years until a Canadian plantation worker alerted the authorities in New York. He was emancipated on January 3, 1853, although his captors where never brought to justice. Northup chronicled his harrowing experience in this historic memoir, which was adapted into the 2013 Oscar-winning film of the same name. A moving memoir that deserves a place on every bookshelf and will appeal to those with an interest in this dark chapter of American history. Read & Co. History is proud to be republishing this classic slave narrative now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter by Frederick Douglass.