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Title Page of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral

Phillis Wheatley · 1773

The title page of Phillis Wheatley's 1773 book of poems, published in London.

This is the title page of Wheatley's own 1773 published book, the first by an African-American author.

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Title page of a book reading 'Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, by Phillis Wheatley, Negro Servant to Mr. John Wheatley, of Boston, in New England, London, Printed for A. Bell, Bookseller, Aldgate; and sold by Messrs. Cox and Berry, King-Street, Boston, MDCCLXXIII.' Printed in black on aged cream paper.
Title page, Phillis Wheatley, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, London, 1773. Houghton Library, Harvard University.

About this source

What it is

This is the title page of Wheatley's book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, printed in London in 1773. It names her as the author and identifies her as "Negro Servant to Mr. John Wheatley, of Boston," and lists the printer and sellers of the book. The original is held at Harvard University's Houghton Library.

Why it matters

This page documents the publication of the first book by an African-American author. The wording on the page, describing Wheatley by her enslaved status, shows how deeply her identity as an enslaved woman was tied to the marketing and reception of her work.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the title page describes Wheatley as a "servant" rather than simply as an author?
  • What does it tell you that the book was printed in London rather than Boston?
  • What information on this page helps readers verify when and where the book was made?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Phyllis Wheatley on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Scan of the frontispiece and title page of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley. The left page holds an oval engraving of a seated woman writing with a quill, wearing a white headwrap and shawl, with a book on the table. The right page gives the title, author line, and London 1773 imprint.Book

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Engraved oval frontispiece portrait of a woman in profile, wearing a frilled cap and shawl, holding a quill over a sheet of paper on a table with an inkwell. Inscription around the oval reads: Phillis Wheatley, Negro Servant to Mr. John Wheatley, of Boston.Painting

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