Behind the Scenes : Or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House
Overview
Originally published in 1868--when it was attacked as an "indecent book" authored by a "traitorous eavesdropper"--Behind the Scenes is the story of Elizabeth Keckley, who began her life as a slave and became a privileged witness to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Keckley bought her freedom at the age of thirty-seven and set up a successful dressmaking business in Washington, D.C. She became modiste to Mary Todd Lincoln and in time her friend and confidante, a relationship that continued after Lincoln's assassination. In documenting that friendship--often using the First Lady's own letters--Behind the Scenes fuses the slave narrative with the political memoir. It remains extraordinary for its poignancy, candor, and historical perspective.
First time in Penguin Classics
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780143039242
- ISBN-10: 0143039245
- Publisher: Penguin Classics
- Publish Date: July 2005
- Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.35 pounds
- Page Count: 192
- Reading Level: Ages 18-UP
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