February Classic of the Month: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo is proud to present Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup as our February Classic of the Month.

This riveting and harrowing memoir, originally published in 1853, was a best-seller and groundbreaking work during its time. In 1841, free-born African American Solomon Northup was offered a job within his hometown of Saratoga Springs, only to find that it was a trap---leading to him being beaten, drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery by his employers. He eventually ended up on a Louisiana plantation owned by Edwin Epps, where he became friends with Canadian carpenter Edward Bass, who was doing work for the plantation owner at the time. Bass secretly contacted Northup's family, who informed New York governor Washington Hunt of his kidnapping. The state was able to use a law passed in 1840, to rescue Northup, that allowed the recovery of free black men who were sold into slavery. Solomon was finally made free again on January 4, 1853.

In 2013 Twelve Years a Slave, a movie based on an adaptation of this autobiography was produced and directed by Steve McQueen: it ended up winning three 2014 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress.

This incredible journey is a must-read for all, but may be of particular interest to historians, librarians, or anyone interested in African American History.

About the Author:
Solomon Northup (1808-c. 1875) was a free African American from New York who was deceived, drugged, and sold into slavery in Washington, D.C. in 1841. He was transported to New Orleans and sold to a plantation owner in Louisiana. For several years, he was passed around between slave owners before winding up with plantation owner Edwin Epps. There he met Canadian carpenter Samuel Bass, who helped him regain his freedom in 1853. Solomon spent the rest of his life as an abolitionist. He also assisted with the Underground Railroad in the early 1860s.

Cosimo is thrilled to offer Twelve Years a Slave in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, hardcover, and Nook) and Amazon (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle).

Classic of the Month: Twelve Years a Slave

In honor of its most recent Academy Awards and much deserved recognition, we are once again featuring Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup as our Classic of the Month for March.

In 1841, free-born African American Solomon Northup was offered a job in his hometown of Saratoga Springs, New York. He followed his employers to the job site at Washington, D.C., where he was beaten, drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery, eventually ending up on a plantation in Louisiana owned by Edwin Epps. While there, in 1852, Northup befriended Canadian carpenter Samuel Bass, who was at the time doing work for Epps. Secretly, Bass was able to contact Northup's family, who informed New York governor Washington Hunt of his kidnapping. The state was able to use a law passed in 1840 that allowed the recovery of free black men who were sold into slavery to rescue Northup. Solomon was finally made free again on January 4, 1853. One of few slaves of his era ever to regain freedom, he devoted his time and energy to lecturing and educating others about abolitionism. Northup is without a doubt, a person worth celebrating.

His story has seen a wave of media attention recently, winning three Oscars for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Additionally, Twelve Years received the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama as well as the Best Film award at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Shortly thereafter, an article was published about Northup's family, interviewing his great-great-great grandson, Clayton Adams, on how Northup's story had affected him and his family. On March 4th, the New York Times released a correction apologizing for the misspelling of Northup's name in an article written about his kidnapping 161 years ago.

Twelve Years a Slave was a bestseller in its time and remains one today. Northrup's work sold approximately 30,000 copies copies when it was first released, and has recently made the New York Times Best Sellers List.

Cosimo is proud to have released both an affordable paperback and beautiful hardcover edition of Twelve Years a Slave at Barnes & Noble, as well as on Amazon (paperback and hardcover).

Twelve Years is a 2014 Award(s) Winner!

Congrats to Twelve Years a Slave for stealing the show at the 2014 Oscars! 

This classic won the following awards:
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actress (where Lupidta Nyong'o gives one of the most inspirational speeches of the evening)
Best Adapted Screenplay (screenplay by John Ridley)

If you haven't already read the book (or seen the trailer), Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man living in the north with his family, is sold into slavery after being tricked into a (fake) job and kidnapped. He is taken away from his family and his home in New York where he has to endure a life (or lack thereof) of living on a cotton plantation while being harassed and abused.


Twelve Years is also the winner of the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama as well as  the Best Film award at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

The film's director, Steve McQueen, had this to say during his acceptance speech: “Everyone deserves not just to survive, but to live. This is the most important legacy from Solomon Northup. I dedicate this award to all people who have endured slavery. And the 21 million people who still suffer slavery today. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.”

Clayton Adams, the great-great-great-grandson of Solomon Northup, had this to say about the film: "I read the book twice. But the second time, I was really understanding that this was a part of my blood, and with that in mind, it truly brought me to tears at the end of the book."

Twelve Years was not the only book to movie adaptation recognized at this year's awards ceremony: 
Philomena (Philomena: A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search By Martin Sixsmith), Captain Phillips (A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea By Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty), The Invisible Woman (The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien), The Book Thief (The Book Thief by Markus Frank Zusak), Frozen (The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen), The Wolf of Wall Street (The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort) American Hustle (The Sting Man: Inside Abscam by Robert W. Greene), and of course, The Great Gatsby (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald) were all nominated.

Congrats to all of those who worked hard to bring Twelve Years a Slave to life on the big screen!

Cosimo is proud to have released both an affordable paperback and beautiful hardcover edition of Twelve Years a Slave at Barnes & Noble, as well as on Amazon (paperback and hardcover). For more information about the author and the book, please see our press release.