The "Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave, Written by Himself", is a memoir of William Wells Brown published in 1847, which became a bestseller across the United States, second only to Frederick Douglass' slave narrative memoir. Born into slavery in Montgomery County, Kentucky, Brown escaped to Ohio in 1834 at the age of 19. He settled in Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked for abolitionist causes and became a prolific writer. While working for abolition, Brown also supported causes including: temperance, women's suffrage, pacifism, prison reform, and an anti-tobacco movement. He was a pioneer in several different literary genres, including travel writing, fiction, and drama. In his memoir, Brown critiques his master's lack of Christian values and the customary brutal use of violence by owners in master-slave relations.

William W. Brown was an abolitionist, historian, and novelist. Brown was born into slavery in 1814 and escaped to Ohio at the age on 20. Brown is now famous for writing Clotel, the first novel written by an African-American. Narrative of William W. Brown, an American Slave provides great detail into Brown's life as a slave in Missouri. The book is considered to be one of the most popular slave narratives.