Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, published in 1845, was the first of three published autobiographies of the former slave. Intended as antislavery propaganda, the Narrative served the 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 was the most popular and enduring account of American slavery. The first printing sold 5,000 copies in four months and within a year four more editions were printed. It was circulated in the U.S. and Britain.