I PRESUME it is right that prefaces should be written, though it is hard to say why, as they are very seldom read. Their chance of being perused is still more diminished when they are written in connection with any stirring narrative which is sure to interest the mind and touch the heart. Just in proportion to the interest of the book itself, is the preface liable to be overlooked. Such an appendage to a volume like this, therefore, is indeed a superfluity; for who would care to postpone the melancholy excitement of listening to this piercing cry from the land of the slave, for the sake of a tantalizing, and, possibly, irrelevant introduction? The only object to be served by these preliminary lines, will be to use them as a means of making the author of this thrilling narrative better known personally to his readers this side the ocean. For, though the book itself is professedly an autobiography, there are some few circumstances which a man cannot relate so easily of himself as a friend can relate for him. Of Mr. Troy's mental qualities, and his graphic powers, I need say nothing, as both speak out in the narrative he has written. But of his sterling attributes of heart, those only who know him intimately can form a true idea. A real man and a finished gentleman, the author of this little book stands forth as another living contradiction of the doctrine which disparages the African as gifted with inferior intellect and possessed of baser feelings than the European; and he shows that colour is no barrier to the attainment of high culture and scholarship, and no hindrance to the possession of a delicately attuned emotion. If I were to say more, I might be betrayed into the exaggerations, which the partiality of a strong admirer and an attached friend can hardly suppress, and I must, therefore, leave Mr. Troy's book to speak for him as well as for itself. It needs but a small spark to kindle the magazine of British indignation against the American slave system, and many such sparks will be found in this book. We are told that some men have hearts of stone--there is hope of fire being struck even from them when the iron of the captive's fetters rings against them. But it is not merely the passing sigh of a regretful sympathy that this little volume seeks to evoke. It would fain give to that sigh an articulate sound, and direct it in earnest prayer before the throne of Him "who hath made of one blood all nations of men to inhabit the earth"--on behalf of the slave.

I PRESUME it is right that prefaces should be written, though it is hard to say why, as they are very seldom read. Their chance of being perused is still more diminished when they are written in connection with any stirring narrative which is sure to interest the mind and touch the heart. Just in proportion to the interest of the book itself, is the preface liable to be overlooked. Such an appendage to a volume like this, therefore, is indeed a superfluity; for who would care to postpone the melancholy excitement of listening to this piercing cry from the land of the slave, for the sake of a tantalising, and, possibly, irrelevant introduction? The only object to be served by these preliminary lines, will be to use them as a means of making the author of this thrilling narrative better known personally to his readers this side the ocean. For, though the book itself is professedly an autobiography, there are some few circumstances which a man cannot relate so easily of himself as a friend can relate for him. Of Mr. Troy's mental qualities, and his graphic powers, I need say nothing, as both speak out in the narrative he has written. But of his sterling attributes of heart, those only who know him intimately can form a true idea. A real man and a finished gentleman, the author of this little book stands forth as another living contradiction of the doctrine which disparages the African as gifted with inferior intellect and possessed of baser feelings than the European; and he shows that colour is no barrier to the attainment of high culture and scholarship, and no hindrance to the possession of a delicately attuned emotion. If I were to say more, I might be betrayed into the exaggerations, which the partiality of a strong admirer and an attached friend can hardly suppress, and I must, therefore, leave Mr. Troy's book to speak for him as well as for itself. It needs but a small spark to kindle the magazine of British indignation against the American slave system, and many such sparks will be found in this book. We are told that some men have hearts of stone--there is hope of fire being struck even from them when the iron of the captive's fetters rings against them. But it is not merely the passing sigh of a regretful sympathy that this little volume seeks to evoke. It would fain give to that sigh an articulate sound, and direct it in earnest prayer before the throne of Him "who hath made of one blood all nations of men to inhabit the earth"--on behalf of the slave.

"Historically significant document by Still, a free-born Black man who became an author and abolitionist movement leader in Philadelphia, PA. The volume document the stories of escaped slaves, and remains "the only first-person account of Black activities on the Underground Railroad written and self-published by an African-America...William Still was a major contributor to the success of the Underground Railroad activities in Philadelphia and a part of Philadelphia's free Black community that played an essential role in the Underground Railroad. He personally provide room and board for many African Americans who escaped slavery and stopped in Philadelphia on their way to Canada. Through his work with the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery's Vigilance Committee, he raised funds to assist runaways and arrange their passage to the North. He was instrumental in financing several of Harriet Tubman's trips to the South to liberate enslaved Africans" (Turner, Diane D. "William Still's National Significance." Web blog post. William Still: African American Abolitionist. Temple University, n.d. 18 August, 2016)." --description from Lorne Bair Rare Books Inc., bookseller.

Excerpt from The Underground Rail Road: A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, &C., Narrating the Hardships, Hair-Breadth Escapes and Death Struggles of the Slaves in Their Efforts for Freedom, as Related by Themselves and Others, or Witnessed by the Author So also do the heroic and faithful services of Samuel D. Burris demand Special reference and commemoration, for his connection with the U. G. R. R. Cost him not only imprisonment and the most barbarous treatment, but likewise the loss of his freedom. He was sold on the auction block. Here too come the overwhelming claims of S. A. Smith, who at the sad cost to himself of many of the best years of his life in the Richmond penitentiary, boxed up Henry Box Brown and others in Richmond, and committed them to Adams' Express office, to be carried in this most extraordinary manner to freedom. We must not omit from these records the boldness and the hazard of the unparalleled undertakings of Captains Drayton, Lee, Baylis, 850. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"A record of the escape of slaves from their captors who for years held them in bondage and committed the worst inhumanity man has ever experienced. The book chronicles the stores and methods of some 649 slaves who escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Still included his carefully compiled and detailed documentation about those that he had helped escape into the pages of 'The Underground Railroad records'." --

William and Ellen Craft were slaves from Macon who gained celebrity after a daring public escape in December 1848. The light-skinned Ellen Craft posed as a white woman traveling with her valet. The bold ruse worked and the couple were able to elude slave hunters and eventually cross the Mason-Dixon line. After many trials and tribulations, including pretending to be a married interracial couple, they eventually settled outside Savannah, Georgia where they were able to purchase land. Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom is a fast-paced, suspenseful account of their incredible journey.