Marse Chan; A Tale of Old Virginia. Illustrated by W. T. Smedley

A rich, romantic, and thoroughly original novel of the ante-bellum South. This is the story of Marse Chan--a one-time slave who has risen to become one of the wealthiest men in Virginia. It is also the story of Pandora, a beautiful young woman whose life was shattered by slavery's casual brutality. The book attracted attention because it challenged contemporary racist views of African Americans. High school English teacher often include the discussion of this novel in a novel studies course and always prepare a reading guide for students before they read it.