Beautifully illustrated with sketches from early editions, 12 Years a Slave is the compelling account of a man born free but later kidnapped and sold as a slave. He spent the next 12 harrowing years of his life as a slave on a Louisiana cotton plantation. During this time, he was frequently abused and often afraid for his life. After regaining his freedom in 1853, Northup decided to publish this gripping autobiographical account of his captivity. Just as accessible and enjoyable for today's readers as it would have been when first published, the novel is one of the great works of American literature and continues to be widely read throughout the world. This meticulous edition from Heritage Illustrated Publishing is a faithful reproduction of the original text and is enhanced with images carefully selected by our team of professional editors.