Henry Boyd's Freedom Bed, Whitney L.B. Miller

"Henry Boyd's Freedom Bed" is the true story of an enslaved Kentucky man who purchased his freedom and became one of the most innovative and important furniture makers in 19th-century Cincinnati. In this picture book for ages 3-8, you follow young Boyd as he learns to farm hemp and becomes fascinated by the farm's wooden tools, and as he is sent to the dangerous salt mines of West Virginia.

Eventually Boyd buys his freedom, moves to Cincinnati and starts a successful furniture business despite the overt racism of the time. There he invents a clever bed frame that is patented and becomes known as the "Boyd Bed". Boyd was far more than a furniture maker: he used his woodworking skills to become an important station on the Underground Railroad for people seeking a new life in Canada or the Free States.

The book is the first dedicated entirely to Boyd and is based on original historical research, written to inspire a new generation of young woodworkers. It is written and illustrated by Whitney L.B. Miller, a television journalist, woodworker and maker, and includes three pages of historical facts about Boyd, including a timeline of his life.

36 pages, hardback, heavy paper, sewn binding. Printed in the United States. In English.