New York: Dix and Edwards, 1856. Hardcover first edition - Both a classic in the literature of slavery and abolition, and a book which was influential in the Free Soil movement. Commissioned by the New York Times to write an unbiased report on slavery and its economic effects, this is the first of three books which resulted from his travels. "[Olmsted] discovered that the slaves in the seaboard states were generally well treated. They received enough food to keep them in good physical condition. However, Olmsted believed that the slaves were not as well fed as American free laborers, and he devoted considerable space to one of his favorite theories, namely, that slavery was a destroyer of self-respect and initiative." Clark, Travels in the Old South, 482. Vignette engravings in the text. 715 pp plus two Appendices, 4 pp publisher's ads.