Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, published in 1845, was the first of three published autobiographies of Frederick Douglass. Intended as antislavery propaganda, the Narrative served the second purpose of verifying and documenting Douglass’s life in slavery. The book was not the first slave narrative to gain a wide readership, but it proved the most popular and enduring account of American slavery, one that brought the horrors of slavery as it was practiced in the South to a large audience. Despite a preface by the noted white abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison confirming that the contents of the book were based in fact and written by Douglass, the eloquence with which Douglass recounted his experiences led some to question whether he was the actual author.