Editing Solomon Northup (section)

===''Twelve Years a Slave''===
[[File:Twelve Years a Slave, p56.jpg|thumb|right|"Scene of the Slave Pen in Washington" after imploring that he was a free man, an illustration from ''Twelve Years A Slave'' (1853)]]

After he made it back to New York, Solomon Northup wrote and published his memoir, ''[[Twelve Years a Slave]]'' (1853). The book was written in three months with the help of [[David Wilson (New York politician)|David Wilson]], a local lawyer and writer.<ref name="Genz"/>

Northup told the story of his kidnapping and enslavement with many verifiable details. Northup told the cruelty, treatment as chattel, and the appreciated acts of kindness he received. "Its tone is much milder than we expected to see exhibited," according to the ''Rome Citizen'' of New York.<ref name="Fiske - book" /> The detail that he provided helped illuminate the depth of his experiences, and allowed for verification of what life was like on a plantation. [[Sue Eakin]] and [[Joseph Logsdon]] researched the facts from Northup's book and were able to verify many of the events and people and published their annotated version of the book in 1968. [[Edwin Epps]], his slaveholder, stated that a greater part of the book was the truth to soldiers from the [[114th New York Infantry Regiment]] that Epps met during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Northup was literate and provided the facts without hyperbole in "plain and candid language", while Wilson corrected style, grammar, and inconsistencies.<ref name="Fiske - book" />

It was published by [[James Cephas Derby|Derby & Miller]] of [[Auburn, New York]].<ref>{{Citation |publisher = G.W. Carleton & Co. |location = New York |title = Fifty Years Among Authors, Books and Publishers |chapter=William H. Seward |chapter-url = https://archive.org/stream/fiftyyearsamonga00derbuoft#page/62/mode/2up |author = J.C. Derby |date = 1884 |pages=62–63}}</ref><ref name="PS - freedom" /> In the period when questions of slavery generated debate and the novel ''[[Uncle Tom's Cabin]]'' (1852) by [[Harriet Beecher Stowe]] was a bestseller, Northup's book sold 30,000 copies within three years, also becoming a bestseller.<ref name="Genz"/> Northup traveled and went on a lecture tour in Northeastern states to tell his story and sell books. The book became the backbone of other books about him, such as ''Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave.''<ref name="Fiske - book">{{Cite news |first1=Davide | last1=Fiske|date=December 29, 2019 |title=Authenticity and Authorship: Twelve Years a Slave |language=en-US |url=https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2019/12/authenticity-and-authorship-of-solomon-northups-12-years-a-slave/ |work=New York Almanack, Jay Heritage Center |access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref>