--- product_id: 1486457 title: "Twelve Years a Slave" price: "AED 62" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/1486457-twelve-years-a-slave store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # 12 years of true history 4.5/5 star acclaim Classic narrative depth Twelve Years a Slave **Price:** AED 62 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📖 Own the story that shaped history — don’t miss out on this timeless testament! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Twelve Years a Slave - **How much does it cost?** AED 62 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/1486457-twelve-years-a-slave) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Enduring Bestseller:** Ranked top #66 in Black & African American Biographies, a must-have for culturally conscious readers. - • **Powerful Narrative Voice:** Written with straightforward honesty, making complex history accessible and compelling. - • **Unfiltered Historical Truth:** Experience Solomon Northup’s raw, firsthand account of slavery without Hollywood gloss. - • **Emotional & Intellectual Impact:** A profound story that challenges perspectives on freedom, faith, and human resilience. - • **Collector’s Quality Used Edition:** Good condition pre-owned book—own a piece of history with sustainable style. ## Overview Twelve Years a Slave is Solomon Northup’s compelling autobiographical account of his kidnapping and 12-year enslavement in the 19th century American South. This used book in good condition offers an unembellished, powerful narrative that ranks among the top biographies in Black & African American literature, praised for its historical accuracy and emotional depth. ## Description Twelve Years a Slave [Northup, Solomon, Perkins-Valdez, Dolen] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Twelve Years a Slave Review: Classic Book Review 12 Years A Slave - In 1841, Solomon Northup was a free black man living in upstate New York, with his wife and three kids. His freedom ended abruptly one day, when two men named Brown and Hamilton tricked Solomon with a promise of a job in the circus. Brown and Hamilton were just looking to take advantage of the Fugitive slave laws in the U.S. at the time, and looking to collect a quick dollar by selling Solomon back into bondage. Solomon was first kept in a holding pen in Washington D.C., and held by a man named James Burch, who claimed that Solomon was his slave, which of course he was not. It is in the slave pen where he meets Eliza, once a mistress to her master with kids from him and had some measure of freedom but she was sold to another master and now resided in the slave pen. Eliza was living the life of a slave, and suffering the emotional devastation from that fact, by constantly weeping. Solomon was transported first to Virginia and then to New Orleans, where he was bought by William Ford, a relatively kind owner who also bought Eliza, but could not afford Eliza’s children, and therefor added to her constant state of melancholy. Ford was in debt so he eventually sold Solomon to a cruel master named Tibbeats who worked Solomon day and night whipped him regularly, and nearly hung him to death, if not for the actions of an overseer named Chaplin, and a 400 dollar mortgage put on Solomon by Ford, Solomon, now called Platt, would have been a dead man that day. After more severe treatment at the hands of Tibbeats, Solomon ran away from Tibbeats and back to Ford, but the happiness Solomon felt with Ford was not meant to last. Solomon was soon no longer the property of Tibbeats or Ford, he was sold to another slaveholder in Louisiana named Edwin Epps, who seemed to share the sadism of Tibbeats, and none of the small kindnesses of Ford, when Epps was drunk he was even more cruel to his slaves. Epps had a favorite slave, named Patsey from Guinea, she could pick cotton better than Solomon and better than any other slave, male or female for that matter, but the unwanted intentions of Epps and the unwavering jealousy of Mrs. Epps made Patsey’s life intolerable. She tried to bribe Solomon to kill her, but he did not. Solomon had resolved to gain his freedom from the brutal and sadistic Epps one way or another. He wrote a letter to his friends in the North and asked a man named Armsby to deliver it. Armsby had come to Epps plantation looking for an overseer’s job. He spent several days with Epps, and Solomon somehow trusted him with his freedom, but Armsby betrayed him and told Epps about the letter In 1852 Solomon wrote another letter and asked a carpenter’s assistant named Bass to deliver it to his friends in New York State. Bass was Canadian, and vocally anti-slavery, but would he deliver Solomon’s letter, and secure his freedom? There are not enough glowing adjectives to describe this book. If you care about history, this is a must read for you. This is real history, written contemporaneously after the events of Solomon Northup’s kidnapping, and subsequent life as a slave. There is no embellishment here, there doesn’t need to be. It is just one man’s story, his harrowing experience with the peculiar institution of slavery. Solomon is first kept in a slave pen in Washington D.C. and the irony of the fact that he is being held in bondage, while just a few feet away leaders speak of freedom, that irony is not lost on Solomon. He speaks so eloquently and powerfully about freedom, real freedom, from the perspective of a man who has just had his every freedom taken from him. Today, in the atmosphere of political hyperbole that we live in, many politicians and people speak of their ‘freedoms’ being taken away by this law or that. If they can still protest the fact that laws are impinging on their rights, they haven’t lost any freedom at all. Solomon’s relationship with God is an integral part of his story. Most people in his position would be bitter and angry, but he steadfastly believed that God would one day deliver him. I find Solomon’s faith remarkable in the face of what he had to deal with every day for 12 years. Moreover, Solomon described William Ford as a ‘good Christian.’ I personally don’t think anyone who owned people as property is a good Christian, but Solomon Northrup did, and that makes him a good Christian. I implore you to read this book, it is not an easy book to read, reading about man’s inhumanity to other men in such stark terms, but it is well worth the effort. Review: Extraordinary book, but there are better versions on Kindle - As slave stories go, this one is, in my view, without peer. Northup's s captivating tale -- which has gained attention because of the movie that shares the book's title -- is told in exacting detail with an easy prose. He sets the stage masterfully, describing people and places before proceeding into the narrative. Unlike works of fiction, this book is so compelling because, by all accounts, it is true. There is no polemical axe to grind, as with Uncle Tom (a novel at one point wryly referenced by Northup). Here you see both the brutality of slavery and the moments of kindness by slaves and even some slave owners. Solomon tells the story with clarity and intelligence. The free versions on other sites I found were pretty poorly formatted, so spending a dollar for a polished version on desertcart is worthwhile, but this one is not the best of them. Granted, the book is formatted adequately, and any typographical errors in this version seem to be simple reproductions of the original. However, the supporting material is a letdown. I read the version that includes the introduction by novelist Dolen Perkins-Valdez. That introduction is borderline insulting, as it makes only a weak attempt to separate accounts with fictional elements like Roots from an authentic account like this one. Worse still, Perkins-Valdez can't resist indulging in repeatedly referencing her own recently released slave novel, even going so far as to quote herself. There are almost no historical elements to this version beyond the main book -- no mention of Northup after the book, no mention of he writer who helped him pen the book, nothing. There is more information on the writer of the introduction than there is the author. One other oddity worth mentioning: the original book's preface -- the one done by the man who helped Northup write the book -- has been curiously excised from this version too. That makes this version something less than complete. For those looking for a better version, you might consider Twelve Years a Slave - Enhanced Edition by Dr. Sue Eakin Based on a Lifetime Project. New Info, Images, Maps , which contains a robust amount of supporting material and, better still, is right now the same cost as this version. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #159,749 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #105 in Black & African American Biographies #244 in Discrimination & Racism #266 in African American Demographic Studies (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (36,950) | | Dimensions | 5.5 x 1 x 8.38 inches | | Edition | 37th ed. | | ISBN-10 | 1476767343 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1476767345 | | Item Weight | 14.4 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 320 pages | | Publication date | November 19, 2013 | | Publisher | 37 Ink | ## Images ![Twelve Years a Slave - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71O0JCN0MwL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Classic Book Review 12 Years A Slave *by C***N on February 8, 2014* In 1841, Solomon Northup was a free black man living in upstate New York, with his wife and three kids. His freedom ended abruptly one day, when two men named Brown and Hamilton tricked Solomon with a promise of a job in the circus. Brown and Hamilton were just looking to take advantage of the Fugitive slave laws in the U.S. at the time, and looking to collect a quick dollar by selling Solomon back into bondage. Solomon was first kept in a holding pen in Washington D.C., and held by a man named James Burch, who claimed that Solomon was his slave, which of course he was not. It is in the slave pen where he meets Eliza, once a mistress to her master with kids from him and had some measure of freedom but she was sold to another master and now resided in the slave pen. Eliza was living the life of a slave, and suffering the emotional devastation from that fact, by constantly weeping. Solomon was transported first to Virginia and then to New Orleans, where he was bought by William Ford, a relatively kind owner who also bought Eliza, but could not afford Eliza’s children, and therefor added to her constant state of melancholy. Ford was in debt so he eventually sold Solomon to a cruel master named Tibbeats who worked Solomon day and night whipped him regularly, and nearly hung him to death, if not for the actions of an overseer named Chaplin, and a 400 dollar mortgage put on Solomon by Ford, Solomon, now called Platt, would have been a dead man that day. After more severe treatment at the hands of Tibbeats, Solomon ran away from Tibbeats and back to Ford, but the happiness Solomon felt with Ford was not meant to last. Solomon was soon no longer the property of Tibbeats or Ford, he was sold to another slaveholder in Louisiana named Edwin Epps, who seemed to share the sadism of Tibbeats, and none of the small kindnesses of Ford, when Epps was drunk he was even more cruel to his slaves. Epps had a favorite slave, named Patsey from Guinea, she could pick cotton better than Solomon and better than any other slave, male or female for that matter, but the unwanted intentions of Epps and the unwavering jealousy of Mrs. Epps made Patsey’s life intolerable. She tried to bribe Solomon to kill her, but he did not. Solomon had resolved to gain his freedom from the brutal and sadistic Epps one way or another. He wrote a letter to his friends in the North and asked a man named Armsby to deliver it. Armsby had come to Epps plantation looking for an overseer’s job. He spent several days with Epps, and Solomon somehow trusted him with his freedom, but Armsby betrayed him and told Epps about the letter In 1852 Solomon wrote another letter and asked a carpenter’s assistant named Bass to deliver it to his friends in New York State. Bass was Canadian, and vocally anti-slavery, but would he deliver Solomon’s letter, and secure his freedom? There are not enough glowing adjectives to describe this book. If you care about history, this is a must read for you. This is real history, written contemporaneously after the events of Solomon Northup’s kidnapping, and subsequent life as a slave. There is no embellishment here, there doesn’t need to be. It is just one man’s story, his harrowing experience with the peculiar institution of slavery. Solomon is first kept in a slave pen in Washington D.C. and the irony of the fact that he is being held in bondage, while just a few feet away leaders speak of freedom, that irony is not lost on Solomon. He speaks so eloquently and powerfully about freedom, real freedom, from the perspective of a man who has just had his every freedom taken from him. Today, in the atmosphere of political hyperbole that we live in, many politicians and people speak of their ‘freedoms’ being taken away by this law or that. If they can still protest the fact that laws are impinging on their rights, they haven’t lost any freedom at all. Solomon’s relationship with God is an integral part of his story. Most people in his position would be bitter and angry, but he steadfastly believed that God would one day deliver him. I find Solomon’s faith remarkable in the face of what he had to deal with every day for 12 years. Moreover, Solomon described William Ford as a ‘good Christian.’ I personally don’t think anyone who owned people as property is a good Christian, but Solomon Northrup did, and that makes him a good Christian. I implore you to read this book, it is not an easy book to read, reading about man’s inhumanity to other men in such stark terms, but it is well worth the effort. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Extraordinary book, but there are better versions on Kindle *by J***N on October 12, 2013* As slave stories go, this one is, in my view, without peer. Northup's s captivating tale -- which has gained attention because of the movie that shares the book's title -- is told in exacting detail with an easy prose. He sets the stage masterfully, describing people and places before proceeding into the narrative. Unlike works of fiction, this book is so compelling because, by all accounts, it is true. There is no polemical axe to grind, as with Uncle Tom (a novel at one point wryly referenced by Northup). Here you see both the brutality of slavery and the moments of kindness by slaves and even some slave owners. Solomon tells the story with clarity and intelligence. The free versions on other sites I found were pretty poorly formatted, so spending a dollar for a polished version on Amazon is worthwhile, but this one is not the best of them. Granted, the book is formatted adequately, and any typographical errors in this version seem to be simple reproductions of the original. However, the supporting material is a letdown. I read the version that includes the introduction by novelist Dolen Perkins-Valdez. That introduction is borderline insulting, as it makes only a weak attempt to separate accounts with fictional elements like Roots from an authentic account like this one. Worse still, Perkins-Valdez can't resist indulging in repeatedly referencing her own recently released slave novel, even going so far as to quote herself. There are almost no historical elements to this version beyond the main book -- no mention of Northup after the book, no mention of he writer who helped him pen the book, nothing. There is more information on the writer of the introduction than there is the author. One other oddity worth mentioning: the original book's preface -- the one done by the man who helped Northup write the book -- has been curiously excised from this version too. That makes this version something less than complete. For those looking for a better version, you might consider Twelve Years a Slave - Enhanced Edition by Dr. Sue Eakin Based on a Lifetime Project. New Info, Images, Maps , which contains a robust amount of supporting material and, better still, is right now the same cost as this version. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read for all history classes *by M***G on February 26, 2026* There are very few primary accounts of Slavery from people who experienced it, especially in written form. This book is probably the most well known of them all,and for good reason. It’s a genuinely horrifying read that depicts the terror a slave felt every day as they lived. This one is unique because it has a happy ending. I also highly recommend the movie adaptation of this book starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/1486457-twelve-years-a-slave](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/1486457-twelve-years-a-slave) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-04-29*