"This text will become the definitive collection of Hammon's work–not only because of the archival finds that Cedrick May features but also because of his careful and attentive reconstruction of Hammon's historical, political, social, and religious contexts."–Katy L. Chiles, author of Transformable Race: Surprising Metamorphoses in the Literature of Early America
"This volume, which reflects those discoveries about Hammon's life and work that have taken place since Ransom's earlier collection, will enable scholars, instructors, students, and other interested readers ready access to the most up-to-date assessment and presentation of this pioneering African American author's body of work."–Ajuan Maria Mance, editor of
Before Harlem: An Anthology of African American Literature from the Long Nineteenth Century