# Is "My Bondage and My Freedom" by Frederick Douglass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass (Miller, Orton and Mulligan, 1855) is identified by: The title page imprint reads 'New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton and Mulligan, 1855,' reflecting the firm's dual offices.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The title page imprint reads 'New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton and Mulligan, 1855,' reflecting the firm's dual offices
- The first edition is an octavo of xxxi, [33]-464 pages, with an introduction by Dr
- James McCune Smith and three engraved plates, including a frontispiece portrait of Douglass engraved by John Chester Buttre
- The original publisher's binding is brown cloth, decorated in blind on the boards with the title lettered in gilt on the spine
- Publisher imprint reads Miller, Orton and Mulligan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frederick Douglass |
| Publisher | Miller, Orton and Mulligan |
| Year | 1855 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The title page imprint reads 'New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton and Mulligan, 1855,' reflecting the firm's dual offices |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The title page imprint reads 'New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton and Mulligan, 1855,' reflecting the firm's dual offices. The first edition is an octavo of xxxi, [33]-464 pages, with an introduction by Dr. James McCune Smith and three engraved plates, including a frontispiece portrait of Douglass engraved by John Chester Buttre. The original publisher's binding is brown cloth, decorated in blind on the boards with the title lettered in gilt on the spine.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My Bondage and My Freedom* by Frederick Douglass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-bondage-and-my-freedom
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.