Anti-slavery writings were significant in the abolitionists' fight against slavery. Using books, newspapers, pamphlets, poetry, published sermons, and other forms of literature, abolitionists spread their message. David Walker's Appeal, William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator, and Frederick Douglass' The North Star were among the most important abolitionist writings. And then there were the slave narratives -- personal accounts of what it was like to live in bondage. These would give northerers their closest look at slavery and provide an undeniable counter to the pro-slavery arguments and idyllic pictures of slavery described by slaveholders.
The slave narratives were immensely popular with the public. Frederick Douglass' Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass sold 30,000 copies between 1845 and 1860, William Wells Brown's Narrative went through four editions in its first year, and Solomon Northups' Twelve Years a Slave sold 27,000 copies during its first two years in print. Many narratives were translated into French, German, Dutch and Russian.
