African American slave narratives of the 19th century recorded the atrocities of the antebellum South and provided a solid foundation for the African American literary tradition. By presenting 16 such narratives in their entirety, this reference conveniently documents this historically significant literary genre. Unlike other anthologies, which often contain excerpts from readily available narratives, this work offers complete versions of largely unavailable texts. To add to the value of this reference for the researcher and general reader alike, each narrative is accompanied by a preface, explanatory notes, and suggestions for further reading. The work begins with an introductory essay that fully contextualizes the slave narrative genre and concludes with a general bibliography.