The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself is an autobiographical account of the life of Olaudah Equiano. This book, which is in its first volume, was written by Equiano himself and tells the story of his life as a slave in Africa, his journey to America, and his eventual freedom. Equiano was born in what is now Nigeria, and was kidnapped and sold into slavery at a young age. He was taken to America, where he was sold to different owners and worked in various industries. Despite the hardships he faced, Equiano was able to educate himself and eventually buy his own freedom. The book provides a unique insight into the life of a slave during the 18th century, and is considered an important historical document.In May 1769, soon after our return from Turkey, our ship made a delightful voyage to Oporto in Portugal, where we arrived at the time of the carnival. On our arrival, there were sent on board to us thirty-six articles to observe, with very heavy penalties if we should break any of them; and none of us even dared to go on board any other vessel or on shore till the Inquisition had sent on board and searched for every thing illegal, especially bibles. Such as were produced, and certain other things, were sent on shore till the ships were going away; and any person in whose custody a bible was found concealed was to be imprisoned and flogged.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.