Wallace Thurman / THE BLACKER THE BERRY 1st Edition 1929

Description: "A document of Harlem in all its maddening, glorified, burgeoning diversity" (Scott)THE BLACKER THE BERRYBy Wallace Thurman1929First edition - with cover design by Aaron Douglas - of this foundational Harlem Renaissance work, the story of Emma Lou, a dark-skinned Black woman who struggles to come to terms with the colorism she experiences inside and outside her community.Very good plus."Who wouldn't be color-conscious when everywhere you go people are talking about color. If it didn't make any difference, they wouldn't talk about it, they wouldn't always be poking fun, and laughing and making jokes." Wallace Thurman, the "young turk of the Harlem Renaissance," stormed the literary world with his first novel, THE BLACKER THE BERRY (Scott). Daniel M. Scott notes the "autobiographical parallels" between Thurman and his protagonist Emma Lou, both of whom faced colorism; Paul Finkelman further describes Thurman's attention to the taboo topic of intraracial color prejudice as one of the many "conscious transgressions" that "marked the content of Thurman's literary endeavors." Thurman, who was bisexual, also explores "Harlem's sexual and moral ambiguity" in THE BLACKER THE BERRY, "questioning the parameters by which most Americans conceptualize and/or discuss race and its relationship to gender" by including various hetero- and homosexual encounters in Emma Lou's search for "compatibility between her mask and her life" (Scott). The binding of this title features a vignette of a woman figure designed by Aaron Douglas, a pioneer of the African-American modernist movement and "an integral part of the artistic culture of New York"; he blended Art Deco and cubist forms with the geometric shapes of African art to create stylish designs for magazines and books (Pritchett).Read more: Daniel M. Scott III, "Harlem Shadows: Re-evaluating Wallace Thurman's THE BLACKER THE BERRY, MELUS vol. 29 no. 3/4; Paul Finkelman, Encyclopedia of African American History; Eleanor Pritchett, "The Book Art of Harlem Renaissance Artist Aaron Douglas;" Blockson Collection, item 4879. New York: The Macaulay Company, 1929. Full title: The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life. 7.5'' x 5''. Original brown cloth binding with black lettering and design by Aaron Douglas. Top edge stained brown. Fore-edge machine deckle. Lacking scarce original dust jacket (only a couple examples are known to be extant). 262 pages. Small chip to cloth at head of spine. Minor shelfwear to corners, extremities. Some toning to endpapers. Else clean and sound. Type Punch Matrix Type Punch Matrix is a rare book firm founded by Rebecca Romney and Brian Cassidy. Between them, they bring over 30 years of experience in the antiquarian book trade. TPM sells a mixture of beloved classics and innovative texts from throughout print history, for collectors and institutions alike. Handpress and modern books, archives and manuscripts, letterpress and ephemera: TPM aims to make collecting both more accessible and more diverse, and believes in the mindful acquisition, preservation, and celebration of the materials of our literary cultures. Proud member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of American (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the International Online Booksellers Association (IOBA). Guarantee We guarantee the accuracy and authenticity of all our listings. "First edition" always means first printing unless otherwise indicated. Items may be returned for any reason within 30 days, through prior arrangement, and in original condition. Maryland residents must add 6% sales tax. Shipping We pride ourselves on our packaging. All books are carefully packed to help ensure safe arrival in condition sent. We use new boxes, with not a single bubble envelope to be found in our shipping room. We ship most packages via USPS media mail and include delivery confirmation at no additional charge. Delivery typically takes 5-10 days, but may be longer, especially during the holidays. Orders are shipped within two business days. Priority USPS, UPS, and Fed-Ex services are available on request; please inquire for a specific quote. We combine shipping on items purchased at the same time. If you check out immediately and are overcharged for shipping during checkout, we will issue you a prompt refund, once actual shipping costs are known. International shipping is available, and we are happy to ship to our international customers. Please contact is BEFORE PURCHASING for an exact quote.This listing was created by Bibliopolis.

Price: 2750 USD

Location: Silver Spring, Maryland

End Time: 2024-12-03T05:29:44.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD