Society

Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African

by Ignatius Sancho

Ignatius Sancho was born on a slave ship, grew up in London and became a shopkeeper, composer and man of letters, the first African known to have voted in a British election. His letters, published in 1782, two years after his death, are warm, witty and full of Laurence Sterne, with whom he corresponded. They were among the first writing by an African to be widely read in Britain.

The librarian

Read it in the Library After Dark Or read it as plain text

Reading time

About 4 hr 25 min

Where to find it

The African Reading Room

Edition

Project Gutenberg, eBook #66908. In the public domain in the United States.