Scarce first US edition of this foundational anti-colonial text by a Black psychiatrist — this copy once owned by Dorris Funnye Innis, a writer and editor for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
Near fine in a very good jacket.
Price: $2,000.00
"[C]olonialism is not a thinking machine, nor a body endowed with reasoning faculties. It is violence in its natural state, and it will only yield when confronted with greater violence."
THE WRETCHED OF THE EARTH is an indispensable text of Black activism, written by "the most influential anticolonial thinker of his time" (Jansen and Osterhammel, 165). Frantz Fanon dictated the text to his wife Josie after his expulsion from Algeria, when he refused to continue to provide medical aid to French colonial soldiers. Bringing together psychology and philosophy, Fanon presents an overview of the cultural and physical damage that are at the heart of colonialism, and advocates for violent resistance: "The colonized man finds his freedom in and through violence" (67). He identifies non-violent resistance as a product of colonialism itself, "an attempt to settle the colonial problem around a green baize table" (49). The founders of the Black Power Movement and the Black Panther Party directly quoted THE WRETCHED OF THE EARTH in official publications and manifestos, and more recently, an anti-colonial climate activism group selected its name based on the work.
This first US edition of THE WRETCHED OF THE EARTH is a particularly evocative example of the book's influence. This copy was owned by Dorris Funnye Innis, civil rights activist and editor of CORE's house magazine as well as their RIGHTS AND REVIEWS. Raised in South Carolina to parents of Gullah heritage, Innis went on to be part of two important CORE delegations to Africa in the 1970s. She also wrote and published widely for the likes of THE NEW YORK TIMES and WOMEN'S WORLD.
A beautiful copy with exceptional activist provenance.
Read more: Catalogue of the Blockson Afro-American Collection, item 1912; Jan C. Jansen and Jürgen Osterhamme, Decolonization: A Short History.
First printing. New York: Grove Press, Inc, (1963). 8'' x 5.25''. Original brown cloth boards. Original unclipped ($5.00) black, white, and yellow typographical dust jacket, designed by Roy Kuhlman. 256 pages. Ownership signature "D Innis" penned to front free endpaper. Jacket has a few small closed tears, some chipping, edgewear. Book has mild shelfwear to extremities. Several pages dog-eared, presumably by Innis. Else clean and sound throughout.
We work hard to meet our ethical responsibility to describe our material accurately. All items are guaranteed as described and may be returned for any reason within 30 days. Please notify us before mailing a return.
We guarantee the authenticity of our items. All materials are original (meaning not facsimiles or reproductions) unless otherwise noted. First editions (meaning first edition, first printing) are explicitly stated. TPM is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and upholds their Code of Ethics.
All photographs are of the actual item for sale. We're happy to provide additional images on request.
All domestic orders ship gratis. For orders under $250, free USPS media mail shipping is included; orders $250 and over ship USPS Ground Advantage. International orders over $1000 also ship gratis. Expedited, overnight, as well as other carriers (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.), may carry additional costs beyond quoted rates. All orders receive tracking information and a direct contact in case of any questions.
International buyers are responsible for any customs, taxes, and related import fees. Please note that we are unable to accomodate requests to misrepresent, misdeclare, or otherwise falsify customs documents when shipping internationally. We appreciate your understanding.
We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, check, money order, and bank wire. We are happy to bill institutional buyers' needs. Sales tax will be added to applicable purchases. Items subject to prior sale.
If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact us. We prioritize our long-term relationships far above any individual purchase, and we want you to love your item as much as we loved cataloguing it.
Type Punch Matrix is a Washington D.C.-area rare book firm founded by Rebecca Romney and Brian Cassidy.
Read more about TPM.
