Rare unsigned book: The Cabinet of Freedom: The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade by the British Parliament, Vol. II. NY: John S. Taylor, 1836. Hardcover bound in publisher's original decorative embossed boards with gilt-stamped title on spine, 5 x 7.75, 298 pages. Bound in at page 236/237 is a lithographed plate of the powerful diagram of a "Slave Ship" by J. H. Buffords, illustrating in several cross-section figures the horrifying method of stowing slaves aboard a cargo ship, which unfolds to an overall size of 17.25 x 12.25. The basis of the image is a diagram of the British slave ship 'Brookes' first published in 1788 by the Plymouth Chapter of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. It was subsequently widely distributed by abolitionists and used in a number of contemporary texts, including Clarkson's. It is one of the enduring images of the abolitionist movement, and a stark reminder of the brutality of the institution of slavery. The "Slave Ship" plate is in very good condition, with a bit of foxing, small losses along the fold in the bottom figure, and a few partial edge tears (not affecting the illustrations); the book is likewise very good, with light foxing to textblock, frontispiece nearly detached, and rubbing to corners and spine ends.
The "Slave Ship" plate is very rarely found intact within the book; a similar example of this 1836 John S. Taylor/J. H. Buffords "Slave Ship" lithograph, removed from the book, achieved $6,875 at Bonhams in 2014.
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