Book excerpt: The first published African American poet, Jupiter Hammon was born into slavery in 1711 on Long Island, New York. Over the years he became a well-respected preacher and clerk-bookkeeper, as his poems were circulated widely. His poetry is composed in hymn stanzas and is noted for its rhythmic and passionate expression. In later years, attending the 1786 inaugural meeting of the African Society in New York, he delivered ‘An Address to Negros in the State of New-York’ — his most influential work. Only in more recent times have critics started to recognise Hammon’s important contribution to the development of black American literature. The Delphi Poets Series offers readers the works of literature’s finest poets, with superior formatting. For the first time in digital publishing, this volume presents Hammon’s complete works, with related illustrations and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Hammon’s life and works * Concise introduction to Hammon’s life and poetry * Rare recently discovered poems * Images of how the poetry was first printed, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the poems * Includes Hammon’s complete prose — with rare essays digitised here for the first time * A brief biography — discover Jupiter Hammon’s world * Ordering of texts into chronological order and genres CONTENTS: The Life and Poetry of Jupiter Hammon Brief Introduction: Jupiter Hammon An Evening Thought (1760) Dear Hutchinson is Dead and Gone (1770) An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley (1778) A Poem for Children with Thoughts on Death (1782) A Dialogue, Entitled, the Kind Master and the Dutiful Servant (1783) An Essay on Slavery (1786) The Prose A Winter Piece (1782) An Evening’s Improvement (1783) An Address to the Negroes in the State of New-York (1786) The Biography The Negro’s Heritage of Song (1923) by Robert Thomas Kerlin