Moncure Daniel Conway: Autobiography and Miscellaneous Writings

by Moncure Daniel Conway

Conway's "Autobiography tells the story of how he helped his father's fugitive slaves settle in Yellow Springs, Ohio, during the Civil War, and how he gradually lost his religious faith. It also charts his dealings with figures such as Emerson, Thomas Carlyle, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Annie Besant, and Andrew Carnegie. Conway's "Addresses and Reprints, 1850-1907 contains miscellaneous writings and speeches on public affairs, philosophy, and literature. Together, these rare volumes form a set invaluable to historians of nineteenth-century America.

1450 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Moncure Daniel Conway was an American abolitionist minister. At various times Methodist, Unitarian, and a Freethinker, the radical writer descended from patriotic and patrician families of Virginia and Maryland but spent most of the final four decades of his life abroad in England and France, where he wrote biographies of Edmund Randolph, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Thomas Paine and his own autobiography. He led freethinkers in London's South Place Chapel, now Conway Hall.

Reviews

[Bob Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most interesting book that I've read in a long time. Conway's life story offers a panoramic view of his era. It include many fascinating incidents often involving major players of the time like Emerson, Howells, Carlyle and Lincoln. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about life before, during and after the Civil War. Volume 2 covers the last third of the 19th century and focuses on his experiences in Europe, especially England where he lived for most of that time. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the intellectual climate of the second half of the century.