Born a slave and lacking any formal education, William Wells Brown occupies a central and remarkably versatile role in the formation of the African American literary tradition. The author of the first novel, the first play, and the first travel book to be published by an African American, he was also a pioneer in the fields of African and African American history, and he wrote one of the most important American slave narratives. Brown matched his literary accomplishments with a long and successful public career as a lecturer for abolition, temperance, and civil rights. Because his prolific writings were often tied to the social causes he advanced, his books are notable more for their rhetorical effectiveness than for artistic unity. His work features many autobiographical elements, which he often renders with fictional techniques, and he frequently borrowed from outside sources, including his own prior publications, to authenticate his...