Alexis, Andre.
Childhood (First UK Edition, Signed).
London: Bloomsbury, 1998. First Edition. Hardcover. First UK and first cloth Edition, Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket, SIGNED by the author on the title page. Publisher sticker on front panel. (Originally published in wrappers in Canada). The Trinidadian author's first novel, preceded by a collection of stories. [Book #101704]. (read more)

Baldwin, James.
Another Country (First Edition).
New York: The Dial Press, 1962. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in a Very Good dust jacket. Jacket is chipped, with a few short closed tears, brief spotting to the spine, and a cello tape repair to the verso of the crown. [Book #115264]. (read more)

Baldwin, James.
The Devil Finds Work (First Edition).
New York: Dial Press, 1976. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. A collection of essays by Baldwin on his experiences in the Hollywood film industry. [Book #103787]. (read more)

Baldwin, James.
No Name in the Street (First Edition).
New York: Dial, 1972. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. A gorgeous copy, uncommon thus. Copy belonging to noted collector Rolland Comstock, with his bookplate at the front pastedown. [Book #104730]. (read more)

Baldwin, James.
Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone (First Edition).
New York: Dial, 1968. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. Just the faintest hint of the usual toning to the spine, else a lovely copy. [Book #11487]. (read more)

Baraka, Amiri (text); Theodore Harris (artist).
Malcolm X as Ideology (Signed Lettered Edition).
Candia, NH: John Lebow, 2008. First Edition. First Edition, one of 26 lettered copies (this being Letter B) SIGNED by Amiri Baraka (ne Leroi Jones) on the rear colophon page. An essay by Baraka, with a full-color collage by Theodore Harris titled "Appeal to the Secretary," SIGNED by Harris in pencil, as the frontispiece. Fine in black cloth with a photo-illustrated front panel and spine panel, both on Rives paper. [Book #111902]. (read more)

Birtha, Becky.
For Nights Like this One: Stories of Loving Women (Signed First Edition).
Palo Alto: Frog in the Well, 1983. First Edition. Softcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in wrappers. Warmly INSCRIBED by the author on the title page in the year of publication. [Book #101058]. (read more)

Brooks, Gwendolyn.
In the Mecca: Poems (First Edition, Review Copy).
New York: Harper and Row, 1968. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. REVIEW COPY, with publisher's slip laid in. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. A pristine copy. [Book #104547]. (read more)

Carter, Stephen L.
The Emperor of Ocean Park (Signed First Edition).
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. SIGNED by the author on the title page. African-American author's first book, subject of great critical and popular praise, which went well into multiple printings. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. [Book #104063]. (read more)

Chambers, Veronica.
Mama's Girl (Signed First Edition).
New York: Riverhead Books, 1996. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. SIGNED by the author on the title page. Heel lightly bumped, else Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. [Book #114472]. (read more)

Clarke, Breena.
River, Cross my Heart (First Edition).
Boston: Little Brown, 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. Two promotional bookmarks for this title, produced at publication, are laid in. [Book #114375]. (read more)

Clarke, Breena.
River, Cross my Heart (First Edition).
Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. [Book #114475]. (read more)

Cullen, Countee.
Color (Early printing).
New York: Harper and Brothers, 1925. First Edition. Hardcover. Early printing, lacking the necessary "First Edition" statement on the copyright page, with a letter code of "L-A" present. Very Good lacking dust jacket. A bright copy, with moderate shelfwear, an owner name on the front flyleaf (and tiny corresponding name and address label on the front pasteown), and light fraying to the crown. A presentable copy of the African-American poet's first book. [Book #108200]. (read more)

Davis, Angela Y.; Julian Bond (foreword).
If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance (First Edition).
New York: The Third Press / Joseph Okpaku Publishing, 1971. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a Very Good+ or better dust jacket, lightly faded along the spine, with light rubbing and minor wear at the extremities. [Book #99341]. (read more)

Dodson, Owen.
Boy at the Window (First Edition).
New York: Farrar Straus and Young, 1951. First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. A sharp copy of the author's second book. [Book #56093]. (read more)

Dunbar, Paul Laurence.
The Sport of the Gods (First Edition).
New York: Dodd Mead, 1902. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in green cloth with white and black lettering, rule and design. An impeccable, unread copy of this African-American literature high spot. Scarce in any condition. [Book #77508]. (read more)

Ellis, Trey.
Platitudes (Signed First Edition).
New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1988. First Edition. Softcover. First Edition, first printing, a paperback original. SIGNED by the author on the title page. Near Fine condition. [Book #108559]. (read more)

Gaines, Ernest J. .
A Lesson Before Dying (First Edition).
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. Small owner name to the top front flyleaf, jacket lightly crimped at the spine ends, else a very bright copy. [Book #87569]. (read more)

Gregory, Dick; Bob Orben (editor).
From the Back of the Bus (First Edition).
New York: E.P. Dutton, 1962. First Edition. Softcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in black and white pictorial wrappers with no dust jacket, as issued. Slight roll to the spine with light wear to the extremities of the spine and one small corner crease to the bottom of the front panel. 125 pages. Profusely illustrated throughout with black and white photographs by Jerry Yulsen. Comedy and social satire. [Book #79299]. (read more)

Haley, Alex.
Roots (First Edition).
Garden City: Doubleday, 1976. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in a Very Good+ dust jacket. Jacket is lightly toned overall, with some fray at the crown and light rubbing at the extremities. Haley's classic novel, basis for the popular 1977 television mini-series, starring Louis Gossett, Jr. and Maya Angelou. [Book #114309]. (read more)

Hayden, Robert (editior).
Kaleidoscope: Poems by American Negro Poets (First Edition).
New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in a Very Good+ dust jacket. Jacket has some tape reenforcement to the verso of the spine and a bit of rubbing and minor edgewear. [Book #113404]. (read more)

Henderson, George Wylie.
Ollie Miss (First UK Edition).
London: Martin Secker, 1935. First Edition. Hardcover. First UK Edition, first printing. first printing. Front endpaper excised; thus only a fair copy of what would otherwise be Near Fine, in a good, mostly complete jacket with a split along the spine. [Book #93056]. (read more)

Heyward, DuBose.
Skylines and Horizons (First Edition).
New York: Macmillan, 1924. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a striking, Near Fine dust jacket. Jacket is very slightly toned at the spine, with a tiny splash at the lower hinge fold, and an equally tiny nick at one lower corner. Heyward's second book (and first book written on his own), a collection of poetry. [Book #99852]. (read more)

Himes, Chester.
The Quality of Hurt (First Edition).
London: Michael Joseph, 1973. First Edition. Hardcover. First UK Edition, first printing. Very Good+ in a Very Good+, price-clipped dust jacket. [Book #115115]. (read more)

Hogan, Inez.
Nicodemus and His Gran'pappy (First Edition).
New York: E.P. Dutton, 1936. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in a Near Fine example of the scarce dust jacket. Jacket is especially nice, with only a touch of rubbing at the corners to note. A lovely, bright copy of a title that endured many reprintings, one rarely found with a jacket, let alone one in this condition. [Book #84239]. (read more)

Hughes Langston (words); Roger Segure (music).
Night Time Midge Williams' Theme Song (Sheet Music, Signed by Langston Hughes).
San Francisco: Sherman, Clay and Co., 1936. Sheet music Inscribed by Langston Hughes to Dutch author Emanuel van Loggem. Largely forgotten today, Midge Williams was a popular and talented singer active in the mid-1930s and early 1940s. Raised in the Oakland, California, area, she and her three brothers, John Lewis Jr., Robert, and Charles, began performing at an early age as the Williams Quartette, later becoming the Williams Four. After the quartet disbanded Ms. Williams began a successful solo career that peaked with her work with Louis Armstrong. Near Fine with some fading and light wear along the edges. Also contains music and lyrics for "No Regrets" by Harry Tobias and Roy Ingram and "Just In Case You Change Your Mind" by Ralph Freed. [Book #107974]. (read more)

Hughes, Langston.
I Wonder As I Wander (First Edition).
New York: Rinehart, (1956). First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Bottom corners bumped, else just about Fine in a Fine dust jacket with a shallow, tiny nick at the crown. A lovely copy of this poorly manufactured volume, the second of the author's two autobiographies, seldom found thus. [Book #70797]. (read more)

Hunter, J. H.
Saint, Seer and Scientist: The Remarkable Story of George Washington Carver of Tuskegee, Alabama (First Edition).
Toronto, CA: Evangelical Publishers, 1939. First Edition. Softcover. Presumed First Edition, first printing. Very Good in orange die cut stapled wrappers revealing a black and white photographic portrait of G.W. Carver. Two tape repairs to the front panel with rubbing and light soil to the same. Contents are clean and bright. An article on the life and work of Dr. Carver, illustrated with black and white photographs, and prefaced by a letter written by the illustrious African-American researcher to the publisher. [Book #86587]. (read more)

Hurston, Zora Neale.
Cordially Yours... (Signed First Edition).
Boston: The Boston Herald Book Fair Committee, 1939. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine lacking dust jacket. SIGNED and warmly inscribed by Zora Neale Hurston on the front flyleaf: "To the great mind / The great soul / in humble admiration / Zora Neale Hurston." Likely an important association, but regrettably there is no evidence as to whom the recipient might have been. Includes the first appearance of Ms. Hurston's story, "Now Take Noses." A collection of original short stories and essays by leading American authors of the time, published for the 1939 Boston Herald Book Fair. Some other authors in the collection include Christopher Morley, DuBose Heyward, Ben Ames Williams and Faith Baldwin. [Book #59010]. (read more)

Johnson, Charles.
Oxherding Tale (First Edition).
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a Fine, price-clipped dust jacket. The author's second novel. [Book #109432]. (read more)

Jones, LeRoi.
Dutchman and the Slave: Two Plays (First Edition).
New York: Apollo Editions No A-122 / William Morrow, 1964. First Edition. Softcover. First Edition, first printing, a paperback original. in Near Fine condition. Light rubbing and reader's crease to the spine with some light creasing to the rear panel, else Fine. Two plays by the African-American author of Blues People. [Book #79587]. (read more)

Kelley, William Melvin.
A Drop of Patience (First Edition).
Garden City, Garden City: Doubleday, 1965. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Very Good+ in a Very Good dust jacket. [Book #106978]. (read more)

Kincaid, Jamaica.
At the Bottom of the River (Signed First Edition).
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1983. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. SIGNED by Kincaid on the title page. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. Author's first book, a collection of stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker, for whom the author is a regular contributor. [Book #109436]. (read more)

Kincaid, Jamaica.
My Brother (Signed First Edition).
New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (FSG), 1997. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket, SIGNED by the author on the title page. The author recounts the illness and premature death of her own brother, Devon Drew, on the island of Antigua. [Book #100561]. (read more)

King, Martin Luther Jr.
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? (Original Galley Proofs).
New York: Harper and Row, 1967. Original galley proofs. Long galley sheets, folded once as usually seen. Very Good, with some corners folded on the first few leaves, and the bottom third of the first leaf (i.e., the title page) missing, roughly torn away with some frayed ends. This affects only a portion of the copyright statement, however, and the galleys are otherwise complete. [Book #115306]. (read more)

Major, Clarence.
Dirty Bird Blues (Signed First Edition).
San Francisco: Mercury House, 1996. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. SIGNED by the author on the title page. [Book #100566]. (read more)

McKinney-Whetstone, Diane.
Tempest Rising (Signed First Edition).
New York: Morrow (1998). First Edition. First Edition of the author's second book. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. SIGNED by the author. [Book #94605]. (read more)

McMillan, Terry.
Mama (First Edition, signed on a laid-in bookplate).
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket with a touch of the usual fading to the jacket spine panel. Laid in is a publisher's bookplate SIGNED by the author. The author's first book. [Book #109482]. (read more)

McMillan, Terry.
Waiting to Exhale (First Edition, signed on a laid-in bookplate).
New York: Viking Press, 1992. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. SIGNED by the author on a laid-in (i.e., not attached) decorative bookplate. The author also wrote the screenplay for the 1995 film directed by Forest Whitaker starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. [Book #114371]. (read more)

Morrison, Toni.
Beloved (First UK Edition).
London: Chatto & Windus (1987). First Edition. First UK Edition, first printing. first printing. Pages tanning, else Fine in a Fine dust jacket, price-clipped. [Book #95020]. (read more)

Morrison, Toni.
The Collected Novels of Toni Morrison: The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby, Beloved, Jazz (Limited Edition set, 6 volumes, all signed by Morrison).
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994. Hardcover, six volumes. Each volume SIGNED on the title page by Toni Morrison. Publisher's blue cloth with titles and design in silver and black on the spine, and a decorative "M" in blind on the front board. Issued as a set by Knopf in 1994 to commemorate the author's winning of the Nobel Prize. All volumes Near Fine with light rubbing to the cloth and some rubbing to the black portion of the backstrips, slipcase Near Fine, with a touch of wear at a couple of corners. A very attractive set, issued in a small quantity by the publisher. [Book #115200]. (read more)

Morrison, Toni.
Jazz (Signed Limited Edition, with promotional material).
Franklin Center, PA: Franklin Library, 1992. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. First printing of this limited edition, privately printed for the Signed First Edition Society. SIGNED by the author on the limitation page. Laid in is a typed letter on card stock, from the chairman, describing Morrison's book. Publishers full brown leather, with gilt designs and spine titles, combed marbled endpapers, gilt page edges, and rose ribbon marker. "Jazz" takes place in Harlem in the 1920s and in the American South of the 1800s. Fine and unread with no dust jacket as issued. The Signed First Society was a book program issuing one signed first edition every month. The program ran shortly after the Franklin Library began publishing. A nice copy. [Book #118282]. (read more)

Morrison, Toni.
Song of Solomon (Signed Hardcover).
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977. Hardcover. Second printing. SIGNED by the author on the front flyleaf with a non-personal inscription: "Best wishes / Toni Morrison." Near Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. The author's third book. [Book #117607]. (read more)

Morrison, Toni.
Tar Baby (Signed First Edition).
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1981. First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. SIGNED and nicely inscribed by the author on the front flyleaf. Morrison's fourth novel. [Book #70679]. (read more)

Naylor, Gloria.
Linden Hills (First Edition).
New York: Ticknor and Fields, 1985. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Near Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. Book shows faint sticker shadow at the front pastedown. [Book #115098]. (read more)

Naylor, Gloria.
The Women of Brewster Place (First Edition).
New York: Viking Press, 1982. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. A lovely copy of the author's elusive first book. Adapted into a Very Good 1989 TV movie with Oprah Winfrey, Robin Givens, Paul Winfield, and Cicely Tyson. [Book #109500]. (read more)

Nell, William C.; Harriet Beecher Stowe (introduction).
The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution, with sketches of several distinguished colored persons; to which is added a brief survey of the condition and prospects of colored Americans.
Boston: Robert F. Wallcut, 1855. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition. Good to Very Good condition, with integral facsimile of a military discharge document signed by George Washington completely intact. Backstrip and board edges are toned, some brief chipping to the crown, a couple of corners slightly turned, and brief staining to the margins of a few pages. Binding quite sound, with no repairs. A very presentable copy overall. [Book #115581]. (read more)

None.
Large hand fan from the Negro Ocean Playground [American Beach], circa 1935.
Negro Ocean Playground, ca. 1935. Photo-illustrated hand fan from the Negro Ocean Playground, the first major African American Beach in the United States. Wooden handle attached to muffin-shaped, photo-illustrated fan on card stock. Very Good condition, with some general fading and toning at the edges, but no loss or significant wear.American Beach (or The Negro Ocean Playground) was a historic beach community located north of Jacksonville, Florida, on Amelia Island in Nassau County. During the time of segregation, African Americans were not allowed to swim at the beaches in Jacksonville, so several black-only areas were created. American Beach was the first, the largest, and the most popular.American Beach was founded in 1935 by Florida's first black millionaire, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, founder of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company. The initial plan was for his employees to have a place to buy homes and vacation spots for their families. The spot grew in popularity throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, and summers at American Beach were known for being jammed with families, churches and children. The beach included hotels, restaurants and nightclubs as well as homes and other businesses. American Beach played host to numerous celebrities during this period, including folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, singer Billie Daniels, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Billy Eckstein, Hank Aaron, Joe Louis, and actor Ossie Davis. American Beach was hit hard by Hurricane Dora, and many homes and buildings were destroyed. The passage of the Civil Rights Act that same year desegregated the beaches of Florida, and American Beach became a less and less popular vacation destination as more African American Jacksonville citizens turned to locations nearer their homes. A.L. Lewis' great-granddaughter MaVynee Betsch, known to locals as the "Beach Lady," returned to American Beach in 1977 to fight for its preservation. For years she planted trees along Lewis street, offered historical tours of the beach, and fought to raise public awareness of the beach and its struggle until her death September 2005. As of January 2002, American Beach is listed as a historic site by the National Register of Historic Places. [Book #117310]. (read more)

Phillips, Caryl.
The European Tribe (First Edition).
New York: FSG (1987). First Edition. Hardcover. First American Edition of the author's third book. SIGNED by the Booker shortlist author. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. [Book #95973]. (read more)

Reed, Ishmael.
The Free-Lance Pallbearers (Signed First Edition).
Garden City: Doubleday, 1967. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition. INSCRIBED by the author on the half-title page: "For Eugene White / Will return to examine your wonderful collection / Ishmael Reed." Fine in a bright, Very Good+ dust jacket. Jacket has a small closed tear and associated crease at the bottom front panel and a couple of neat cello tape mends, else quite nice. The author's first book. [Book #104331]. (read more)