The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave

Content Warning: The source material and study guide discuss enslavement, extreme violence, and murder. This guide uses person-first language to discuss enslaved people, but terms such as “master” and “slave” are included in quoted material. This guide follows the author’s historical use of the terms “sold” and “property.” The term refers to the inhumane concept of regarding enslaved peoples as “chattel,” or personal portable property that could be sold at will.

The Preface is written by the Scottish abolitionist Thomas Pringle. He explains the impetus for the book and the conditions of its production and offers information regarding formal details of the text. He begins by explaining that it was Mary Prince’s idea to create her autobiography with the goal of sharing the experience of an enslaved person with the English public. Pringle quickly acted on this after seeing a letter from Prince’s former enslaver falsely attacking her character. He also explains that the book is a transcription of Prince’s oral recounting of her life story. Despite being mediated, the transcription is faithful to the idiosyncrasies of Prince’s speech. Pringle insists that all important details remain, and few changes were made, apart from significant changes to standardize the grammar of her account.