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.
African American author
TRAGIC MAGIC
(1978)
First printing of Brown's acclaimed first novel, edited and championed by Toni Morrison.
TRAGIC MAGIC
(1978)
Inscribed first printing of Brown's acclaimed first novel, edited and championed by Toni Morrison.
PARABLE OF THE SOWER
(1993)
Bound galley (stated) of the first edition of Butler's post-apocalyptic novel, sent by the publisher to James Sallis, who was one of Butler's instructors "where Octavia got her start" (Carl Brandon Society) — at the 1970 Clarion Writers Workshop.
BLUESCHILD BABY
(1970)
First printing of this novel about Black man just released from prison, "the bright boy of infinite promise [...] and the very old parolee of twenty-two, who sees little difference between the prison world and the world outside."
CAROLING DUSK: AN ANTHOLOGY OF VERSE BY NEGRO POETS
1927
First printing of this collection of Black poetry from the late nineteenth century to the Harlem Renaissance, compiled by one of the period's "most talented writers" (Finkelman, 526).
DRIFTGLASS
(November 1971)
First paperback edition of this collection of speculative fiction stories, including the 1967 Nebula Award-winning "Aye, and Gomorrah," one of the great queer short stories of science fiction.
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.
![Item #45991 THE JEWELS OF APTOR [with] SECOND ENDING. Samuel R. Delany, James White](/pictures/thumb/45991_1.jpg?v=1655925280)
THE JEWELS OF APTOR [with] SECOND ENDING
(1962)
First edition, paperback original, of Delany's acclaimed debut novel and now science fiction classic, published as an Ace Double with White's SECOND ENDING.
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.
IT NEVER RAINS IN LOS ANGELES
(1970)
Inscribed first printing of this murder mystery set in an LA high school during the Civil Rights Movement.
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.
THE WOMEN AND THE MEN
1975
Inscribed first edition of this collection by "one of America's foremost poets" (POETRY FOUNDATION).
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."
KALEIDOSCOPE
(1976)
First edition of this anthology of three centuries of Black American poets, edited by the first Black Poet Laureate of America.
RUN MAN RUN
(1966)
First printing of this thriller touching on police violence and racism in 1960s New York, the story of a young Black man pursued by a murderous cop intent on silencing him forever.
FINE CLOTHES TO THE JEW
1927
First edition of Hughes's "greatest collection of verse" (Arnold Rampersad), in the scarce original dust jacket designed by Aaron Douglas.
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.
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.
I HEARD A SCREAM IN THE STREET: Poetry by Young People in the City
(1970)
First printing of this youth poetry anthology, reflecting the urgency of the Civil Rights Movement, the '68 Chicago riots, the Vietnam War, illustrated with prize-winning children's photographs of urban scenes.
A TOAST TO LOVE
1984
First edition, first printing of this Black romance from the Starlight series led by the influential Black editor Veronica Mixon — written by editor Vivian Stephens's sister and one of the founding board members of the RWA.
ANYTHING WE LOVE CAN BE SAVED: A Writer's Activism
(1997)
Signed first edition, first printing of this collection of autobiographical essays by the author of THE COLOR PURPLE and IN SEARCH OF OUR MOTHERS' GARDENS.
