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TAMBOURINES TO GLORY.; a novel by Langston Hughes
by Hughes, Langston
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Near Fine
- Seller
-
Lake Forest, Illinois, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Victor Gollancz Limited, 1959. First British Edition. Boards. Near Fine/Near Fine. Small 8vo, red boards with spine lettered in gold, dust jacket, 188 pages. Author's First Novel in Near Fine condition with a Near Fine & unclipped--thus Rare--dust jacket (with very slight a few abraision & clean nicks near the top of the spine). The first British edition is considerably rarer than the American. Slightly cocked, light stain to margin of the first few leaves, light wear to the tips and a few small spots. DJ title adds: "or in other words The Rise & Fall of Two Hot-Gospelling Harlem Ladies." Langston Hughes (1902-1967) thus described his first novel: "Tambourines to Glory is an urban folk tale set against a background of colorful independent, unorthodox churches which have sprung up all over Harlem in the last decade. It is in no sense an attack on organized religion, or on cults as such, but is a fictional expose of certain ways in which religion is misused in large city communities today by various types of unscrupulous leaders who might be called 'gospel racketeers,' preying upon the gullibility of simple people."
Synopsis
Finally available in trade paperback, Langston Hughes's breezy parable of good and evil, friendship and betrayal, is an unforgettable portrait of 1950s Harlem and two women called to the pulpit for very different reasons.For every bustling jazz joint that opened in Korean War--era Harlem, a new church seemed to spring up. Tambourines to Glory introduces you to an unlikely team behind a church whose rock was the curb at 126th and Lenox.Essie Belle Johnson and Laura Reed live in adjoining tenement flats, adrift on public relief. Essie wants to somehow earn enough money to reunite with her daughter and provide her with a nice home; Laura loves young men, mink coats, and fine Scotch. On a day of inspiration, the friends decide to use a thrift-store tambourine and a layaway Bible to start a church.Their sidewalk services are a hit: Laura's a natural street performer who loves the limelight, while Essie is a charismatic singer with a quiet spirituality. Before long they move to a thousand-seat theatre called the Tambourine Temple. The two women are joined in their ministering by Birdie Lee, the little-old-lady trap drummer who can work the congregation to a feverish pitch, and Deacon Crow-For-Day, an impassioned confessor.But then Laura falls for Buddy, a scam artist who suggests selling to the faithful lucky numbers from Scripture and bottles of tap water as "Holy Water from the Jordan." Even with a Cadillac and piles of money from Laura, Buddy won't stay faithful, igniting a crime of passion and betrayal.Harlem Moon Classics is proud to reintroduce readers of all generations to this sparkling gem from the canon of Langston Hughes.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Borg Antiquarian
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 482
- Title
- TAMBOURINES TO GLORY.; a novel by Langston Hughes
- Author
- Hughes, Langston
- Format/Binding
- Boards
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First British Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Victor Gollancz Limited
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1959
- Keywords
- Harlem Renaissance, black literature, poetry, jazz, Americana, blues, Simple, satire
Terms of Sale
Borg Antiquarian
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Borg Antiquarian
Biblio member since 2015
Lake Forest, Illinois
About Borg Antiquarian
BorgAntiquarian (ABAA & ILAB) is a dealer long engaged in selling exceptional collectibles: rare and fine books, autographs and manuscripts, fine art and artifacts. We are generalists in Americana, English & American literature, plus selected authors & important figures (Dickens & Darwin; presidents & 'signers'; scientists & historical figures; Revolutionary & Civil War militaria).
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cocked
- Refers to a state where the spine of a book is lightly "twisted" in such a way that the front and rear boards of a book do not...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- 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....
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
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