If you look online at the Bonhams site, you can see the letter from Anthony Allen that outlines his amazing life story. If you have an extra $20,000 or so to spend, you can own it.

In April, the Bonhams New York auction of rare Hawai'i books and images drew a lot of attention, so much that Bonhams is including another section of Hawai'i-related articles in their auction of rare books, taking place tomorrow.

One of the pieces is a letter from Anthony Allen, an admired historical figure in Hawai'i. Allen, an African-American born into slavery in 1774 in New York, purchased his freedom by working off his debt to a ship owner who helped him. Allen traveled the world working on ships and came to Hawai'i by working on a whaling vessel. He settled on O'ahu in 1812, worked as a steward to Kamehameha the Great, married and had three children. He became a land owner, farmer and businessman in Waikiki, even opening a hospital to care for sailors. In 1882, Allen received a letter from the son of the family that had once owned him as a slave. The man, Dr. Dougal of New York, had read about Allen in a missionary newspaper and wrote asking about the path his life had taken. A portion of that letter being offered at auction is Allen's reply to Dougal, dictated to missionary Hiram Bingham.

"I rejoice that you have found out my residence after supposing I had been dead ... As you have written me a long and very kind letter and requested me very particularly to write to you an account of myself since I left your city, I have come to the house of the Missionaries, to get one of them to write what I wish to say to you respecting myself ... Came to the Sandwich Islands in 1811 & here came ashore with permission and lived four months with Hevaheva the high Priest of the Islands ... Capt. Davis employed me as a steward in passage from one island to another particularly to wait on the King Tamehameha & his five Queens... The High Priest gave me a piece of land at Waititi containing about six acres, having on it a few coconut trees & three small houses or native huts ..."

Another piece to be auctioned is a playbill of the entertainment for Kamehameha II (Liholiho) and Queen Kamamalu during their trip to England in 1824. The program is from the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. A month after the date of that performance, both Liholiho and his queen died from measles. The value of the lot is estimated at $5,000 to $8,000.

The items can be viewed online at www.bonhams.com.