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US$1,120.00
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About This Item
New York: Harper & Bros., 1940. First edition of his first novel, the story of Bigger Thomas, who murders two women and is condemned to death. A complex novel about the feelings of being powerless, resentful and afraid of the white world. A very good copy in the first-issue dark-blue cloth with a tiny snag on front edge of front board and other minor wear; in very good, first-issue dust jacket, which is a little faded on spine and has a few small chips, some faint damp staining on back cover and old tape backing on spine ends. Still, a presentable copy of this important book by this author. HIS FIRST NOVEL
Synopsis
Richard Wright’s Native Son tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a black American youth living in utter poverty in Chicago's South Side during the 1930s. When Bigger unintentionally murders a white woman, he is put on trial and eventually convicted, and sentenced to the electric chair. Often recognized as a protest novel, Native Son stresses systemic racial issues, prompting the reader to feel both sympathy and empathy for Bigger. In this, the novel is one of the earliest successful attempts to explain the racial divide in America in terms of the conditions imposed on African-Americans by the dominant white society. Soon after publication, Native Son was selected by the Book of the Month Club as its first book by an African-American author. Indeed, the novel was an immediate best seller, selling 250,000 hardcover copies within three weeks of its publication. As a result of the novel’s success, Wright became the first bestselling and the wealthiest black writer of his time, establishing him as a spokesperson for African-American issues and, to many, the “father of Black American literature.” In 1941, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded Wright awarded the prestigious Spingarn Medal. Unsurprisingly, Native Son was challenged in many public schools and libraries and is listed in the American Library Association's list of the “Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999.” Yet most institutions in which the novel was challenged successfully fought to keep Wright's work accessible, particularly in the classroom, defending it as a guide into the reality of the complex adult and social world. Native son is listed as 20th on the Modern Library’s list of the “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. It is also included in TIME’s “100 Best Novels” (since 1923).
Read more: Identifying first editions of NATIVE SON
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Details
- Bookseller
- Quill & Brush
(US)
- Bookseller Inventory #
- 52042
- Title
- NATIVE SON
- Author
- Wright, Richard
- Book condition
- Used
- Quantity available
- 1
- Publisher
- Harper & Bros.
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date published
- 1940
- Keywords
- BLACK AUTHOR, LITERATURE, PICTURE ON WEB SITE
Terms of Sale
Quill & Brush
We accept checks in U.S. dollars, as well as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. PLEASE NOTE: All books labeled "first edition" are first printings of the first published edition. All books labeled "first U.S. edition" are first printings in the U.S. and were preceded by the "true" first edition which may have been published in England, Canada, etc. We describe condition in as much detail as reasonable. "Fine in dust jacket" means both the book and dust jacket are fine; any faults with the book and/or dust jacket are noted.
About the Seller
Quill & Brush
Biblio.co.uk member since: 2007
Middletown, Maryland
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About Quill & Brush
Quill & Brush was established in 1976 by Allen & Patricia Ahearn, the authors of the well-respect reference for booksellers and collectors, Collected Books: The Guide to Identification and Values. At present the Quill & Brush is run by Allen & Pat's eldest daughter, Beth Fisher. Allen is semi-retired but occasionally still buys, sells, and performs professional appraisals. We currently maintain a stock of approximately 5000 books in our specialties which include first editions of American and English Literature, Mysteries and Detective Stories, Science Fiction, Children's and Illustrated Books, Signed and Inscribed books limited edition. We also offer a number of limited edition silkscreen prints and literary broadsides.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...[more]
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...[more]
- spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....[more]
- jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...[more]
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