Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral

This 1773 collection of poems was the only edition of Phillis Wheatley's work printed in her lifetime. Wheatley was first brought to the United States at age 7 or 8 to be sold into slavery. She was purchased by John Wheatley of Boston and taught to read and write. Having been tutored in the classics by Mrs. Wheatley, Wheatley began to write poetry herself and became well-known for it in Boston's domestic circles. A trip to England in 1773 brought her under the patronage of the Countess of Huntingdon who arranged for this 1773 English edition of her poetry to be published. The book became quite popular. Eventually, following the death of John Wheatley,  she was freed. She married soon after but suffered from financial and personal difficulties. Two of her children died as infants and the third passed away soon after Wheatley herself in 1784 at age 31. This important and rare work is the first published volume of poetry by an African American woman.