Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Written by Himself

by Henry Box Brown, John Ernest (Editor)

It is the most celebrated escape in the history of American slavery. Henry Brown had himself sealed in a three-foot-by-two-foot box and shipped from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia, a twenty-seven-hour journey to freedom. In "Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Written by Himself," Brown not only tells the story of his famed escape, but also recounts his later life as a black man making his way through white American and British culture. Most important, he paints a revealing portrait of the reality of slavery, of the wife and children sold away from him, the home to which he could not return, and his rejection of the slaveholders' religion—painful episodes that fueled his desire for freedom.This edition comprises the most complete and faithful representation of Brown's life, fully annotated for the first time. John Ernest also provides an insightful introduction that places Brown's life in its historical setting and illuminates the challenges Brown faced in an often threatening world, both before and after his legendary escape.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, American History, Race

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1849

About the author

Henry Brown was a 19th century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom by arranging to have himself mailed to Philadelphia abolitionists in a wooden crate.

As a free man, Brown lectured across New England on the evils of slavery and participated in the publication of the Narrative of Henry Box Brown (1849). In 1850, a moving panorama, Henry Box Brown's Mirror of Slavery, opened in Boston.

That same year, Brown, worried that he might be re-enslaved, moved to England, where he re-married, lectured, presented his panorama, and performed as a hypnotist.

In 1875, he returned to the United States with his wife and daughter Annie and performed as a magician.

The date and location of his death are unknown. A newspaper reports a February 26, 1889 performance by Henry Box Brown at Brantford, Ontario. This is the last known record of Brown.

See Encyclopedia Virgina for a more detailed biography entry.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy!

What a wild story!! This was definitely not something I have seen in a history book. This book should be shared more often.

[Brandon Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story that like too many is left out of the history books. A look at slavery and how one man escaped in a small box shipped by land and water to freedom.

It is a hell of a tale both in its unflinching look at slavery and the harrowing tale of escape.

[JG Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true story of a man who escaped the horrors of slavery by arranging himself be mailed express to Philadelphia. Another important document on slavery.

[Dwight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for everyone in America. It tells the tragic story of the terror that African-American's had to endure as slaves in America. This is the reality that most white Americans don't want to talk about.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for content!

The second part of the book may be worth a look in light of the events of January 6, 2021. Mr. Brown's comments on secession, insurrection, and the Electoral College are suddenly relevant again.

We may be viewing these topics through the lens of racism rather than slavery now, but it is quite eerie to read the words of someone speaking to the same issues, so many years ago.

Three stars for a prose style unsuited to 2021.

Audiences coming from a 19th century low-information environment, where microphones or amplification were not invented yet, probably loved these long flowery sentences, and thrilled to hear each phrase declaimed, one after the other, as they sat in a crowded row of uncomfortable chairs. Mr. Brown's delivery no doubt made him a hit on the abolition lecture circuit.

Picked this book up in solidarity with Henry "Box", as my great-great-grandfather also shipped himself to this country, in a steamer trunk, to avoid the Kaiser's wars. Should the "box" tactic for escape ever prove necessary in your own life-- Grandpa lasted 3 days in the trunk, until the sailing ship could not turn back to port. Mr. Brown's "THIS SIDE UP" wooden crate was a much more dangerous proposition than a steamer trunk. The wooden crate was turned over the wrong way several times as it was loaded and reloaded, which was almost the end of Mr. Brown, who was suspended upside down, unable to move. Using the steamer trunk technique can prevent this potentially fatal problem. By selecting a trunk with a rounded top, you pretty well guarantee that whoever puts the trunk down will ensure that it is turned right side up, so as not to get in trouble for having left a very heavy object sitting on its unstable, wobbly lid.

As a reader seeking tips for escape via shipment options, this book disappointed, because Mr. Brown glossed over his planning, in an attempt to avoid revealing sources and methods, implicating those who helped him, or impeding future escapes by others.

However, the escape itself wasn't the point of the book.
The dramatic escape is used as a way to get the audience's attention for the larger cause of abolition.

[elizabeth murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed the narrative but have conflicting thoughts

The determination to leave in the way that he did is mind blowing. The way he describes seeing his wife the last time as she is being sold and being tricked out of money he was putting down to secure her proximity to him was heartbreaking as well. However, the nuances of life or so ironic and complex. For instance, the bit about one of the white guys helping him being a slave owner himself! And also, him getting into a financial and ethical argument with a business partner (another free black working with him abroad) about his lack of effort in freeing his family back in the states. Then, he returns to the states and he becomes a traveling magician🙃 I went from feeling extreme pity and sorrow to wondering how the driving force behind escaping slavery becomes a distant memory once he’s secured his position as a freeman. I don’t know what to make of all this and I’m in my feelings. 🫠

[lizz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The determination to leave in the way that he did is mind blowing. The way he describes seeing his wife the last time as she is being sold and being tricked out of money he was putting down to secure her proximity to him was heartbreaking, as well.
However, like most things in life, the nuances of life are ironic and complex. For instance, the bit about one of the white guys helping him to freedom being a slave owner himself! And also, Henry getting into a financial and ethical argument with a business partner (another free black working with him abroad) about his lack of effort in freeing his family back in the states. THENNN, he returns to the states and he becomes a traveling magician….🙃 I went from feeling extreme pity and sorrow to wondering how the driving force behind escaping slavery becomes a distant memory once he secured his position as a free man. I don’t know what to make of all this and I’m in my feelings. 🫠

[Sara Casalino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

It was sad to read about the horrible cruelties, such as slaveowners not keeping their promises, harming others who had helped them, and separating families. Henry walked with his wife Nancy as much as he could after she was sold and had to leave him.

He talks about Christianity being used as a weapon against slaves, and shares the creation story according to the slaveowners.

After his family was taken from him, Henry decided to escape slavery, and he got the idea to ship himself in a box. It wasn't an easy journey and he could have died, but the Lord helped him along the way.

[Michael P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and for the most part very readable slave narrative detailing how the enslaved man Henry Brown escaped from the South by mailing himself to Philadelphia in a box. Although his escape is the centerpiece of the narrative, most of the book focuses on his life as a slave and the conditions he faced. It lays particularly emphasis on religion in the South and the hypocrisy of Christian enslavers. From a historical perspective, the narrative raises interesting questions of the influence of white abolitionists over the writing of slave narratives and their imposition of religious themes on black writing.

[Nia]

the horrors of enslavement should be taught as exactly that—horrific. i feel like we get taught it was bad, but more so on a conceptual rather than on a specifically informational or anecdotal level. what are examples of the cruelty of enslavement—this is surely one. henry “box” brown was shipped in a tight box, under barely (honestly not even) livable conditions and yet he did so because that and death he preferred to the horrors of enslavement. THAT is the kind of stuff we need to see and be taught. it’s hard to learn, of course, but nonetheless, this history is ESSENTIAL. especially in regards to how we move forward.

[Emma Stark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a shorter book, but it is amazing how much Brown fits into there! The crazy adventure of him shipping himself to freedom is so fascinating to read, but he also offers an interesting depiction of the hypocrisy and trickery of the white slavers. There is such a sad story in here of his wife's master charging him crazy fees at odd times to prevent him from selling Brown's wife, only to sell her and Brown's children the one time that Brown didn't have the money. The narrative never mentions if he sees her again and that is so sad.

[Louise Hite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry Box Brown told about his life as a slave, nice and mean Masters, being tricked and separated from his wife and kids, as well as his plan to be shipped out of slave territory. It worked! it took 26 hours to go 300 miles from Richmond, VA., to Philadelphia, PN--shipped Express! Short book, written in the mid-1800's. Brown was a church going, God fearing man and figured out that even though some of the slave owners went to church they were not to be trusted.
Short book - 60 pages. Glad I read it.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a slave narrative, Henry Brown’s narrative is powerful in regard to his sheer ingenuity to have himself mailed in a box to his freedom with the help of a free black man named James C.A. Smith and a white man named Samuel A. Smith. Although the escape is the central draw of the narrative, it comprises only a small chapter. The majority of this book seems more dedicated to Brown’s identity as a Christian and his interrogation of plantation owners’ hypocrisy as Christians.

[Documenting Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you creep inside a wooden crate to escape slavery? Henry Brown travelled 27 hours in discomfort and in danger inside a wooden box to escape from slavery. He managed to reach the North; however, due to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 he had to flee to England where he published this amazing narrative. Don't Miss Out!

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itd2h...
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@documentingbo...

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An appalling story, one of the innumerable narratives that makes Black Live Matter so utterly important. Two things, though - the creativity of Henry Brown's escape is a thrill and delight, for starts. The other, not to easy to understand, is how he maintained his faith in the Christian religion when its leaders and members were so actively engaged in promoting and maintaining slavery.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had heard this story as a kid in elementary school but had only read the actual narrative for class in college. While the story of the escape itself is incredibly fascinating, I thought the way Brown wrote about his experience of enslavement was fascinating. His reflections on faith throughout his life were especially thought provoking.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrative of the life of Henry Box Brown....written by Brown with an extensive prologue written by others. Brown was a slave in Richmond, VA whose family was sold to a NC owner and his meager belongings were taken for sale. He decided to make an attempt to escape to freedom and arranged dto have himself shipped North in a wooden box 3'x2.5'x2'.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am from Georgia, born in 2001, and it is crazy to me that in school we read holocaust narratives but never once read a slave narrative despite it being such an integral part of USA and Southern history. Sure, the government's teaching of slavery has improved since the 1950's, but it still does not do the inhumanity of it justice.

[Miles Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and interesting account of Henry Brown's escape from slavery in Virginia. Best known for the unique was by which he escaped: he mailed himself to Philadelphia from Richmond in a large wooden box.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently saw Keith Henley, a historic interpreter with the American Historical Theatre, portraying Henry Box Brown's story in Belvedere New Jersey. Mr. Henley's interpretation inspired me so much that I wanted to read the account of Henry Box Brown's life as it was written by Henry himself.

[Jessica Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

History is a puzzle

Here is another painful piece. It is interesting to note that, like Frederick Douglass, Henry "Box" Brown escaped from a border state. This narrative is a must for those who study slavery.

[Darlena Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a Dover Thrift version of this book. I was totally affected and am glad I read this narrative. I have had a romanticized view of slavery and this book helped to erase that vision out of my mind.

[Scott Delgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read. The language is a bit highfalutin, but that was sort of the style of writing back then. The firsthand tales of atrocities are far stronger when told by the victim than some nameless narrator. It packs a punch.

[Rye · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Slavery is so inconsistent with the principles of religion, reason, and humanity, that it is no wonder that the very mention of the word God grates upon the ear as if it typified the degeneracy of this hellish system."

[Joe Schilp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short (only 60+ pages) but written in the style of the 1850s, so even though it's short, it's a time-consuming read. Of course, the narrative, taking us through slavery, is very difficult to read, but it's an incredible, first-hand account of life in slavery.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent illustration of the life of a slave in the US and his escape from slavery. Highly recommend it to be read, especially by middle or high school students, to understand what it was like in those dark times

[Abdullah muhammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a Box

His family was sold. He had no rights to protect his family. He saw his family put on an auction block , and there was nothing he could do about it. That made realize he had to escape from a life where he could not protect his family.

[Anna Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very powerful story

Like most books I have read about slavery the slave masters are the same, they rarely change. The escape of Henry Brown was remarkable.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative and very well spoken of his life from slavery to freedom.

[Amaya Arnic · Rating 5 out of 5]

His diction is absolutely amazing. The way in which he depicts his own experience of the long term scars enslavement leaves is masterful.