The Wheatley Census is an ongoing project to locate and describe every extant copy of Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral from its first edition (London, 1773) and subsequent editions through 1909. Each copy we document contributes to a fuller understanding of how Wheatley’s work circulated, survived, and was read across time and place. The Census depends on the participation of the libraries, booksellers, scholars, and collectors who encounter these books firsthand.
We invite you to share what you know.
Contribute Data or Report a New Copy
If you work with a copy of Poems on Various Subjects we welcome your contribution of details through our submission form:
Wheatley Census Contribution Form
Through this form, you can:
- Update information about a copy already listed in the Census
- Report an unlisted copy of Poems on Various Subjects or any later edition through 1909.
- Add detail and documentation such as links to digital facsimiles, catalog records, or notes on condition, binding, annotations, or provenance.
Every submission helps verify and enrich the bibliographic record. When possible, we will follow up to confirm details, assign a Wheatley Census number (WC#) to new copies, and incorporate your information into the public database.
Why Your Contribution Matters
The Wheatley Census is built on a simple but powerful premise: that bibliography can serve as a restorative data practice. By documenting the survival and transmission of Wheatley’s Poems, we illuminate not just a single book but the networks of readers, collectors, and institutions that have preserved it. Each copy tells a story—of ownership, marginalia, circulation, and care. Together, these stories reveal how a young Black woman’s poetry from 1773 became a lasting presence in Atlantic, American, and African diasproic print and literary cultures.
Your local knowledge, whether you are a librarian, bookseller, collector teacher, student, or researcher, makes this possible. Contributions from those who have seen or handled these books directly ensure that our collective record is both accurate and inclusive.
Join the Bibliography in Progress
The Wheatley Census grows through collaboration. Every addition and correction strengthens the bibliography we are building.
If you know of a copy we have missed, or can provide additional details about one already listed, please take a moment to share what you know using the form above.
