Kemble's Coons: A Collection Of Southern Sketches by Kemble, Edward Windsor - 1898

New York: Random House, 1975 First printing of the stated first edition. Signed and inscribed by Maya Angelou directly on the title page: "Lois Langland, / Joy! Maya Angelou / Nov 19, 1980 / (I hope we can be / together, again.)" Lois Langland taught (professor emeritus in psychology) at Scripps Women's College. Toning/offsetting to endpapers, else book in fine condition; dust jacket with faint toning to spine and cover margins, else fine.

[Washington, DC: Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 1924].. 7,[1]pp. Octavo. Printed self wrapper. A couple of small rust marks to rear wrapper, otherwise fine. First separate printing of this address by the poet activist, given by Johnson at the VI International Summer School of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Chicago May 1924. In large part, Johnson's comments are made in reference to the causes and consequences of the US occupation of Haiti following the assassination of the Haitian President in July of 1915. OCLC: 26035710.

, 1954; Two handwritten signed letters from singer/ actor Todd Duncan (1903-1998) addressed to early television director Jerome Shaw. Duncan, the original Porgy in "Porgy and Bess," was Gershwin’s personal choice, singing the role more than 1,800 times. His first operatic performance was in 1945 at the New York City Opera Company as Tonio in Leoncavallo’s "Pagliacci." He taught at Howard University for over fifty years, during which time he continued a rigorous concert performance schedule, logging over 2,000 performances the world over. He was a recipient of the George Peabody Medal, the Donaldson Award, the New York Drama Critic’s Award for "Lost In The Stars," and numerous domestic and foreign honorary awards and degrees. The first letter, dated Feb. 1, 1954, is written on stationery from the Hotel Monticello, Longview, Washington, and is in the original addressed and stamped envelope. In it Duncan at one point makes a pun by advising Shaw not to be consumed by… Read More

Chicago: The David Company, 1989 Second printing of the first edition, stapled wrappers. Presentation copy signed to Greg Gatenby, Canadian historian, writer, and host of Toronto's festival of authors. also signed by Gatenby, dated 1989. Book in fine condition.

New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1963 First printing of the stated first edition. Tanning to upper edge and two line margins on page 6 and 7, else book in fine condition; dust jacket with a short closed tear/crease near bottom front spine fold, shallow wear/creasing to bottom spine end, light rubbing along folds, and light wear to upper back cover, else fine.

Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1830. Disbound, only parts of spine remaining from original 3/4 leather with red and black spine labels, original string ties(complete). 293 pgs, with light scattered foxing and toning. "The committee to whom were referred the memorial of the African Society for colonizing the free people of color of the United States; also, sundry memorials from the inhabitants of the State of Kentucky, and a memorial from certain free people of color of the State of Ohio, report:". SCARCE. A fascinating document. . First Edition. Disbound. Good/No Jacket, As Issued. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Early copy of "Esquisse d'un Tableau Historique des Progres de L'Esprit Humain" (Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind) Suive de (followed by) "Reflexions Sur L'Esclavage des Negres" (Reflections on the Slavery of Negroes) by Marquis de Condorcet. 1822; Chez Masson et Fils, Libraires; Paris. The book is written entirely in French. Leather covers with decorative gilt borders and gilt decorations on the spine; marbled end papers and marbling on all page edges. With a Table of Contents at the back of the book.Condorcet, who denounced slavery, was a French philosopher and mathematician. His ideas, including support for a liberal economy, free and equal public instruction, constitutional government, and equal rights for women and people of all races, have been said to embody the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment and Enlightenment rationalism. In "Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind" (originally published in 1795), he dealt with theoretical thought… Read More

Albany, NY: State University of New York Press (SUNY Press), 1997. 1st edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket (as issued). VG+. 8vo, xxx+610pp, pictorial boards (no jacket, as issued). Massive and groundbreaking study of this important African-American spiritual practitioner. Includes index, notes and bibliography. An unmarked copy of the legitimate original 1997 hardcover first printing (not the later print-on-demand version) from the collection of poet and esotericist David Meltzer. Minor outer wear and erased resale markings to front free endpaper.

Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1971. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine/very good +. Oblong small quarto, 208pp., illustrated. A crisp, clean copy, near fine, with some foxing to the edges. In the scarce dust jacket, very good or better, with a dampstain at the base. A wonderful visual and textual document of rural Black musicians in the American south. Mitchell, an accomplished photographer, conducted interviews with all of the musicians, and adapted these into prose narratives. Mitchell has spent most of his career in Atlanta, and he published a volume of photographs of various figures and establishments on Ponce de Leon Avenue in his 1983 book "Ponce de Leon." His first book, the one offered here, is rare in dust jacket.

Signed. Near Fine. Softcover. The late R C Hickman became a professional photographer after WW II. He made a visual record of the black community in Dallas, Texas for 3 decades. He worked for the Dallas Star, Jet Magazine and the NAACP. There are 109 mostly full page black and white photographs. He got photos of important celebrities when they came to Dallas: Martin Luther King, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Louis and Thurgood Marshall to name a few. His photos of regular folks are the best though. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan wrote the Preface and said, "These are images of the ordinary lives of extraordinary people". The book is in near fine condition with only very slight shelf wear. The dust jacket has a crease on the upper left front. The pages are clean and unmarked, and the corners are square. The author has dated and signed on the title page (no inscription).