GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN
1979
Signed limited Franklin Library edition of Baldwin's first novel, his semi-autobiographical "extended rite of exorcism" (Harris).
African American author
THE NEGRO CARAVAN: Writings by American Negroes
(1941)
First printing of this anthology of works by Black Americans, from the 18th-century poetry of Phillis Wheatley to the 20th-century essays of Alain Locke and much in between.
DARKTOWN STRUTTERS
(1994)
Inscribed first printing of Brown's second novel, exploring the collision of of art, racism, and violence in 19th-century minstrel performance.
TRAGIC MAGIC
(1978)
Inscribed first printing of Brown's acclaimed first novel, edited and championed by Toni Morrison.
FAMILY
(1991)
Signed first printing of this epic family narrative told from the point of view of the ghost of its matriarch, an enslaved woman who committed suicide.
HOMEMADE LOVE
(1986)
Inscribed first printing of this American Book Award-winning collection of character-focused short stories by the acclaimed playwright, who turned to fiction at the urging of Alice Walker.
CITY COOL: A Ritual Of Belonging
(1978)
Association publisher's review copy of this powerful novel of youth destroyed by gang violence, with extensive inscriptions from both authors to Harlem Writer's Guild president Bill Ford.
CITY OF A THOUSAND SUNS
(1965)
First edition, paperback original, of this post-apocalyptic science fiction novel of the far future, in which war and technology are weaponised for control.
DHALGREN
(1975)
First edition, paperback original, of the ULYSSES of the United States, the MOBY DICK of science fiction, the DHALGREN of DHALGRENS.
THE EINSTEIN INTERSECTION
(1967)
First edition, paperback original, of this Nebula Award-winning science fiction novel combining the physics of Einstein, the philosophy of Godel, and the mythology of Orpheus.
IF WE MUST DIE
1963
First edition of this novel about an African American Korean War veteran's experiences of violence while trying to exercise his right to vote in the segregated South.
"The Function of the Novel in American Democracy"
14 September [1967]
Original poster advertising Ellison's University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign lecture on the history and development of the novel.
THE WALLS OF JERICHO
1928
First edition of this Harlem Renaissance classic, depicting the inter- and intra-racial conflicts of the Black community in Harlem with a dash of satire.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN
1971
First edition of this expansive novel that recounts the experiences of a Black woman over the course of an eventful century.
ROOTS
1976
First trade edition in first-state jacket, warmly inscribed in the year of publication: "11/30/76 / Tom and Barbara McDermott, / I want to join Stan and / Marilyn in wishing you a / Very Merry Christmas! / Alex Haley."
PINKTOES
(1965)
First UK edition of this sexy and satirical look at the dynamic of interracial relationships, in the striking original dust jacket.
THE KNOWN WORLD
(2003)
First edition of this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the profound influence of the institution of slavery, on cultural and deeply personal levels.
EVA'S MAN
(1976)
First edition of the follow-up to CORREGIDORA, also edited by Toni Morrison, about a Black woman who has been jailed for murder.
A DIFFERENT DRUMMER
1962
First edition of William Melvin Kelley's first novel, the story of an exodus of the Black population from a fictional Southern US American state after a traumatic event.
'SIPPI
1967
First printing of this voting rights and Black Power book, by one of the co-founders of the Harlem Writers Guild and a major mid-century author of protest novels.
BANJO: A Story without a Plot
1929
First printing of the second novel by one of the most prominent members of the Harlem Renaissance, adapted into the 1937 J. Elder Wills musical film BIG FELLA starring Paul Robeson and Elisabeth Welch.
HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK
(1996)
Inscribed first printing of this Jamaican romance between an older woman and a younger man, the basis for the hit 1998 film starring Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, and Whoopi Goldberg.
WAITING TO EXHALE
(1992)
Signed first printing of this story of four friends' efforts to find the ideal relationship, the basis for the MTV Movie Award-winning film starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett (and with a killer soundtrack).
CAUGHT IN A TRAP
(1999)
First edition, paperback original, of the Black romantic suspense novel set on Long Island, featuring a heroine who falls in love while in hiding from her abusive husband.
SULA
1974
First printing of this story of friendship, duality, and perceptions of power and belonging – Toni Morrison's second novel.
